Food deserts Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Lime for Chest Congestion, Bitter Orange for Diabetes: Foods as Medicines in the Dominican Community in New York City. Several plants serve a dual purpose as foods and medicines in the Dominican immigrant community in New York City. Data show that foods used for self–medication by this community are plants that are well known and readily available in an urban environment, such as lime, bitter orange, garlic, cinnamon, onion and shallot, coconut, watercress, ginger, soursop, and
radish. These plants are significant for Dominicans in New York City for treatment of non–communicable diseases, colloquially called “lifestyle diseases” (such as diabetes, obesity, high
cholesterol, hypertension, and asthma/chest congestion), self–limiting diseases (including common cold, flu, cough, acute bronchitis), and female reproductive health (such as vaginal infections and infertility).Our findings emphasize the contemporary role of traditional medicine as an alternative and
parallel healthcare system that dynamically adapts to current urban epidemiological trends. The double use of foods as medicines has important implications for urban outreach projects, such as Green Carts and community gardens, that play a role in disease prevention of vulnerable populations, especially those living in areas identified as food deserts.

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- Medical Anthropology, Ethnobotany, Traditional Medicine, Cultural Competence

Over the last three decades, the United States has seen a growing problem in both urban and rural areas where access to fresh, affordable and nutritious foods has been severely diminished; while access to cheap, high-calorie, low-nutritional value food has increased. The proliferation of convenience food, including fast-food chain restaurants, in neighborhoods around the country coupled with a sedentary lifestyle has contributed to an epidemic of diet-related diseases. The neighborhood of Frog Hollow, an urban food desert, in Hartford, Connecticut, is no exception to this trend. This paper explores three specific topics related to urban food deserts and food oppression - access, affordability and health - and their impact on the Frog Hollow neighborhood. This is followed by an examination of nutritious and affordable food alternatives and programs that exist in Hartford including farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture and community gardens. Data collection included determining the cost of a healthy food basket in Frog Hollow versus the neighboring, wealthier community of West Hartford, as well as mapping out the locations and types of food outlets in Frog Hollow. Through quantitative analysis of the data, the findings presented in this paper support an argument that food oppression and food desertification exist in Frog Hollow. The research showed that Frog Hollow residents shopping at the subject bodega for their weekly grocery list are paying prices that are on average 26% higher than those charged in the West Hartford subject supermarket. Finally, I offer suggestions for future research to further illustrate the breadth of the food gap that exists between large urban metro areas like Hartford and their suburban counterparts, and touch on the non-food related community benefits of green food options.

- by Kate Johns-Galvin
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- Geography, Urban Anthropology, Applied Anthropology, Food deserts

Desert research, research and development of sustainable greening methods, greenhouse management, forestry, agriculture and cultural industries are the primary fields of the concept and greening deserts projects. The greening and research camp with a greenhouse, office and laboratory containers or tents for the research and development of greening and irrigation methods is the primary objective for opencast mine or post-mining landscapes. Secondary objectives, such as sustainable recreational use and tourism offers, can be realized during the operation over the years and are not necessary for the successful start of the research project and base camp in the opencast mining area or a post-mining landscape. This also eliminates all associated conditions, provisions and legal regulations, since for the time being no public recreational use or tourism operation takes place. Nevertheless, forward-looking considerations and planning approaches as well as extensive points on the areas or topics were worked out and summarized in this concept. Greening Deserts projects are always planned as long-term and sustainable as possible. Further tasks and goals of the projects are the education, research and realization of a sustainable greening, management and cultivation of all kinds of poor, barren and dry areas, landscapes (drylands) or regions. That’s why the main projects of Greening Deserts treating not only typical deserts but all types of deserts, including surface mining deserts, concrete- or urban-deserts. This can all be done with suitable greening and research camps, stations or centers. In this work or in the concept possibilities are analyzed and discussed on the example of research and greening camps for opencast deserts, mining landscapes or post-mining landscape landscapes. The research camp should be an encounter, education and communication platform in post-mining landscapes, internally for experts, specialists and scientists, and in future open to the public. Earth sciences, natural, environmental and desert sciences are three of the main research areas. For a start, the greening, nature and research projects focus on nature experiences, important experience and research in the particular area or terrain. Everything will be analyzed, documented and informed about interesting findings or developments. In the course of the project, with interested and competent bodies or persons will be communicated – via existing and new networks, and then on site as well. In addition to well-known environmental education instruments (tools) and programs, the active experience of nature and creative forms of exploration and experimentation also should be researched and developed.

This study reports on the bio-ecology of desert truffles collected from the Northern Algerian Sahara. It aims (i) the identification of desert truffle species with a morphometric characterization, (ii) the determination of their geographical distribution, and (iii) the description of the edaphic, climatic and geomorphological characteristics of their natural habitat. The harvest of 78 truffle fruiting bodies from seven different locations resulted in the identification of three species of the family Terfeziaceae: Terfezia arenaria (Moris) Trappe, Terfezia claveryi Chatin and Tirmania nivea (Desf) Trappe. These hypogeous ascomycetes live in mycorrhizal association with Helianthemum lippii (Cistaceae). Desert truffles grow in heterogeneous soils of sandy texture, moderately calcareous (10.19 ± 1.37%), slightly alkaline (7.87 ± 0.22), with low organic matter (0.86 ± 0.1%) and slight phosphorus contents. The development of desert truffles is closely linked with high rainfall amount occuring during the fall season and/or winter. The truffles colonize desert depressions "Dayas" and beds of Wadis, since these geomorphological zones accumulate rainwater, which promotes the development of both truffles and its host–plant.

- by Lyès Bradai and +1
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- Landscape Ecology, Mycology, Plant Ecology, Arid Land Ecology

This paper discusses the emerging need for vertical farms by examining issues related to food security, urban population growth, farmland shortages, “food miles”, and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Urban planners and agricultural leaders have argued that cities will need to produce food internally to respond to demand by increasing population and to avoid paralyzing congestion, harmful pollution, and unaffordable food prices. The paper examines urban agriculture as a solution to these problems by merging food production and consumption in one place, with the vertical farm being suitable for urban areas where available land is limited and expensive. Luckily,
recent advances in greenhouse technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics have provided a promising future to the vertical farm concept. These high-tech systems represent
a paradigm shift in farming and food production and offer suitable and efficient methods for city farming by minimizing maintenance and maximizing yield. Upon reviewing these technologies and examining project prototypes, we find that these efforts may plant the seeds for the realization of the vertical farm. The paper, however, closes by speculating about the consequences, advantages, and disadvantages of the vertical farm’s implementation. Economic feasibility, codes, regulations, and a lack of expertise remain major obstacles in the path to implementing the vertical farm.

- by Kheir Al-Kodmany
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- Urban Agriculture, Food deserts, VMTS, high-dense cities
- by Flaminia PADDEU
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- Urban Geography, Urban Studies, Social Activism, Shrinking Cities
- by Alaric Overbey
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- Food Science, Nutrition, Poverty, Obesity
- by C. Patrick Heidkamp
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- Human Geography, Desertification, Food Security, Food deserts

Several studies have examined supermarket access for low-income residents, but few have explored how access to healthy food changes when a new food retailer such as a farmers’ market opens in a place previously known as a ‘food desert’. This paper uses a ‘before and after’ approach to examine the impact of the introduction of a farmers’ market on the price and availability of healthy food in an underserved urban neighbourhood. The farmers’ market had a major impact on grocery prices in the neighbourhood, which decreased by almost 12% in 3 years.

- by Kristian Larsen and +1
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- Food deserts, Neighborhoods, Food Access, Farmer's Markets

There has been a national movement towards closing the grocery gap through public-private partnerships. In this short review, we consider the limits of these interventions in addressing the economic barriers shaping food access and contend that the weaknesses are rooted in the politics of the neoliberal state. We then introduce the concept of the affirmative state and the examples of the military commis-sary and state-run alcohol stores to legitimate the notion that state-run grocery stores can overcome the limits of conventional grocery gap interventions.

- by Christine C Caruso and +1
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- Food Politics, Food Security, Food deserts, Food Justice
- by Kheir Al-Kodmany
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- Urban Agriculture, Food deserts, Buildings, Urban Population

Food accessibility was determined for each Mississippi County, based on data obtained from the Retail Survey regarding common fruits and vegetables in available in food stores. Availability data were correlated with four social-economic/demographic variables: race, median household income, SNAP enrollment, and education. There were negative low magnitude correlations between percentages of Africans American and fresh fruit and vegetables availability, and percentages of SNAP benefits recipients and fresh fruit and vegetables availability. Positive low magnitude correlations were found between income and fresh fruit availability, and education and fruit availability. Lastly, moderate positive correlations were found between education and fruit availability and income and availability. This research can be used to help extension agents and farmers' market managers better understand places that may have a lack of fresh food available. This research will also allow SNAP-Ed professionals a chance to have an idea of where their services are needed.

The aim of this study was to determine content of primary and secondary metabolites and evaluates the antioxidant activity of methanol extracts of dried ascocarps from two species of truffles, Terfezia claveryi and Tirmania nivea which were harvested in Chellala-El Bayadh-Algerian desert. Quantitative determination of sugars, proteins and lipids shows that T. claveryi was very rich in these compounds with levels of 06.04±0.46; 12.87±0.09; 03.95 ± 0.543 g/100 g DM respectively. However, T. nivea present lower rates for the same respective compounds of 5.01±0.09; 11.97±0.03 and 2.15±0.093 g/100 g DM, respectively. The extraction of total polyphenols was made by steeping in methanol. The results showed the richness of both species in polyphenols ranging between 15.4±0.11 mg EAG/g for T. claveryi and 19.74±0.69 mg EAG/g for T. nivea. The contents of flavonoids and tannins were respectively 12.03±0.27 to 12.07±0.79 mg EC/g and 2.3±0.27 to 8.28±0.02 mg EQ/g. T. claveryi and T. nivea extracts exhibit a comparable inhibitory concentrations of DPPH radical (IC50), respectively 1.02±0.002 and 1.01±0.002 mg/ml but remained significantly below (P <0.05) that of ascorbic acid (0.08±0.002 mg/ml). As well our truffles were rich in Vit.C and carotenoids. These show that the area factor affects the biochemical composition of truffles, even if they belong to different species. They keep biochemical and antioxidant characteristics nearly identical.

- by Amani Elrouh
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- Fungi, Antioxidants, Food deserts, Mycotherapy

Food deserts are areas with limited access to healthy and nutritious food items. Low income is the main contributor of poor health in food deserts. Residents in food deserts have an increased risk of health problems, including higher... more

- by Fortune Journals
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- Food Science, Food deserts

Obesity represents a serious public health issue. One major contributor to obesity is the quality and quantity of foods one consumes. Psychological research trying to understand overeating and unhealthy eating behavior has often attributed it to homeostatic malfunction and/or lack of self-regulatory ability. We propose a different approach here, suggesting that eating behavior represents goal pursuit and that obesity is the result of reliance on foods that fulfill convenience goals and price goals at the expense of health goals. We propose and present empirical evidence suggesting that people are capable of making healthier choices when health (rather than convenience and price) concerns predominate and healthy options are available. Based on this existing evidence we suggest that (1) future research should further explore individuals' food choice as a function of the multiple goals they attempt to achieve rather than as a lack of willpower, and (2) policy may contribute to healthy eating by reprioritizing these goals and emphasizing health while increasing the availability and affordability of healthy foods.

- by Edward Orehek
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- Psychology, Social Psychology, Social Sciences, Motivation (Psychology)
- by Bryce J Celotto
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- Urban Geography, Food Science, Youth Studies, Sustainable agriculture

Efforts to ensure that people in all neighborhoods have access to healthy, affordable food are essential in the movement for food justice. An organization called the Partnership for a Healthier America has taken on food access as one of its five core areas, and because this organization has the backing of high-profile state representatives and considerable resources, its efforts matter. The Partnership’s biggest accomplishments to date involve negotiating “meaningful commitments” from private-sector actors, including the biggest food retailer in the United States, Walmart. In this paper I examine the terms of Walmart’s pledge to the Partnership for a Healthier America, and question whether the commitment from this massive corporation is likely to contribute to or obstruct actual food justice. I argue that the relationships this non-profit organization cultivates between the state and the private-sector insulate an entity such as Walmart from regulatory scrutiny, and generate positive publicity and good will for a company that may be doing little more than expanding its market.

- by Ivy Ken
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- Sociology, Corporate Social Responsibility, Governmentality, Corporate Sustainability

Retail brands are important mediators of culture and value that help us understand contemporary consumption. Drawing on a collaborative ethnographic approach to a corner store-rebranding project in South Los Angeles, we demonstrate the ways in which physical retail spaces and their curated product mix can shape specific types of shopping experiences and behaviors. Building on recent studies of brand, we argue that retail curation is another important consideration for understanding how brand communications are formed, filtered and expressed. Expanding on theorizations of brand we demonstrate how retail brands, as physical sites of experience, can attempt to influence relationships between consumption, identity and behavior.

- by Hanna Garth
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- Chicano Studies, Latino/A Studies, Anthropology, Brand Management
- by yvan Ikhlef and +1
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- Food Security, South Africa, Food deserts, Urban Commons

Abstract: Growing food in urban areas could solve a multitude of social and environmental problems. These potential benefits have resulted in an increased demand for urban agriculture (UA), though quantitative data is lacking on the feasibility of conversion to large-scale practices. This study uses multiple land use scenarios to determine different spaces that could be allocated to vegetable production in Montréal, including residential gardens, industrial rooftops and vacant space. Considering a range of both soil-bound and hydroponic yields, the ability of these scenarios to render Montréal self-sufficient in terms
of vegetable production is assessed. The results show that the island could easily satisfy its vegetable demand if hydroponics are implemented on industrial rooftops, though these operations are generally costly. Using only vacant space, however, also has the potential to meet the city’s demand and requires lower operating costs. A performance index was developed to evaluate the potential of each borough to meet its own vegetable demand while still maintaining an elevated population density. Most boroughs outside of the downtown core are able to satisfy their vegetable demand efficiently due to their land use composition, though results vary greatly depending on the farming methods used, indicating the importance of farm management.

- by Federico Martellozzo and +1
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- Urban Geography, Urban Planning, Land-use planning, Urban Agriculture
- by Gawon Kwon
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- Urban Planning, Urban Design, Food deserts
- by Berin Golonu
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- Slow Food, Food deserts, Urban Food farms

Naturopathic interventions encompass a holistic approach to lifestyle changes which promote positive health and wellness. Naturopathic practitioners believe nature possesses all properties needed to increase healing power. Moreover, naturopathic practitioners regard prevention as the best cure (Thiel, 2000, p. 11). Food has also been utilized as a medicinal modality in naturopathy. Specifically, herbs, which are considered foods with special biochemical qualities, and plants, are the focus of naturopath’s ingredients when developing a good health menu. Biodynamic farming is the agricultural processes involved in growing foods which are organic in nature (Paull, 2011). The techniques involved in biodynamic gardening exclude any use of artificial chemicals during the soil and plants growing process.

- by Keyonda Smith, PhD
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- Health Sciences, Nutrition and Dietetics, Nutrition, Public Health Nutrition

This study focuses on the bio-ecological study of Tirmania nivea in the region of Oued is M’ya (Northern Sahara, Algeria). Mycological description of the species has determined that the hypogeous fungus lives in mycorrhizal with Helianthemum plants (Helianthemum lippii) belonging to the family Cistaceae. The white desert truffle colonizes sandy soils that have slightly alkaline pH and low fertility because of the slight values of mineral and organic matter. The rainfall, which controls the development cycle of the fungus, should be well distributed over time, especially during the months of October–December and/or January.

- by Haroun Chenchouni
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- Arid Land Ecology, Arid environments, Desert Ecology, Food deserts

This is a call for chapters for a Handbook of Desert Studies.

- by Frank Jacob
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- History, Cultural History, Cultural Studies, Social Psychology

After reading the title, most of the colleagues will probably be very surprised. First of all, the topic in the minds of readers, such topics occupy a place close to the adventurous fantasies of long-worn andunsolved problems. Ten years ago, I also looked at similar publications in approximately the same way. With the difference that I had no doubt that the problem of the

- by Pazynych Wasyl
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- Food deserts

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) protects households from severe food insecurity or extreme poverty, buffers against certain adverse health effects, and exhibits a multiplier effect on the nation’s economy. Nonetheless, SNAP remains contentious and benefit reductions are currently being debated. One new direction is to reconceptualize people-based SNAP allocations within place-based community development. Programs such as the federal Healthy Food Financing Initiative encourage retailer development in underserved neighborhoods, creating healthy options and opportunities to reinvest SNAP dollars locally. By exploring relationships between these programs, researchers and practitioners can better understand how to enhance their impact on individuals and neighborhoods.

- by Ben Chrisinger
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- Welfare State, Poverty, Community Development, Social Welfare

Food deserts include any area in the industrialized world in which reasonably priced, nutritious food is difficult to obtain. They constitute a pressing public health concern insofar as food desert inhabitants disproportionately suffer from a variety of diet-related ailments. Amartya Sen has written extensively about famine as a failure of functional governance. I draw on these considerations to defend two claims. First, the perpetuation of food deserts also constitutes a breakdown specifically of functional democracy. Second, this breakdown is best addressed by implementing programs and policies that reflect Sen’s capabilities approach to justice. I challenge the proposition that resourcism or any other competing approach is preferable for this particular undertaking.

This paper discusses the life history of the large knives / sidescrapers, objects which are recurrently found in Argentine Northwest agropastoral contexts, from detailed study of a set of pieces from Antofagasta de la Sierra (Catamarca). The definition of their identity as agricultural specialized tools lets discuss the role of farming practices among groups that occupied the area during the first millennium A.D. We study in detail the technological and typological characteristics and morphological changes in the identified pieces, including a larger and more diverse sample of artifacts than in previous works. This makes it possible to assess with greater certainty morphological transformations occurring throughout the use-life of the pieces. In turn, new considerations are made about the specific use and ways of using these tools, based on the analysis of microscopic residues (microfossils and chemical). Techno-typological and use aspects are considered dynamically by placing these objects in the spaces linked to their life histories.

Historical racial injustices as well as more recent
public and economic policies have culminated in
the displacement of supermarkets from some
central city neighborhoods. With this displacement,
many low-income and minority neighborhoods not
only have been deprived of affordable healthful
food, but also have experienced prolonged
exposure to energy-dense and highly processed
snack foods. Partly as a consequence of this loss of
supermarkets, diet-related diseases have become
prevalent. Our current policies to improve this
health issue address only objective measures of
access, with little input from community residents,
and they are having limited results. In response, I
have reconceptualized access as a construct with
five dimensions: acceptability, accessibility,
accommodation, affordability, and availability. This
new expanded view supports both objective and
perceived aspects of access and values the
knowledge of residents through community-based
participatory research, thereby providing a more
complete understanding of access.

- by Kareem M Usher
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- Food Systems, Food deserts, Food Access
- by Murray Rice
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- Urban Geography, Social Policy, Food deserts, Retail Geography
- by Lyès Bradai
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- Arid Land Ecology, Arid environments, Desert Ecology, Food deserts

The literature of geography and related disciplines refers to low income areas where there is little or no access to healthful foods as ‘food deserts’. One crucial area of concern in the food desert literature is the definition of a food desert. Past studies have typically focused their food desert definitions on some combination of access, affordability, and store type considerations. In particular, these definitions frequently focus on access to large national grocery retail chains, and usually exclude smaller grocery retailers (i.e., dollar stores, drug stores, and convenience stores). It is easy to assume that large chain stores provide the best variety and most competitive pricing of food items, but ignoring smaller food retailers omits an important source of food for consumers in communities with income and mobility issues. This study examines how food desert geographies are impacted by varying food desert definitions, including various kinds of small-format food retailers.

- by Murray Rice
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- Urban Geography, Social Policy, Food deserts, Retail Geography

Even if healthy food is back on the agenda of a growing number of cities, for far too many people, and especially for those living in low-income neighbourhoods, the access to healthy options is simply out of reach. Many of these communities are oversaturated with fast-food chains and other sources of inexpensive and processed food, facing the highest risks of obesity, diabetes, and other preventable health challenges. Unsustainable urban development, market failures and urban planning have mainly led to food deserts, areas without proper access to fresh, healthy and affordable food. These underserved urban spaces have recently received a great deal of attention, seen as the product of poor proximity, means of transportation and shopping options in low-income neighbourhoods.

Initiatives to build supermarkets in low-income areas with relatively poor access to large food retailers (“food deserts”) have been implemented at all levels of government, although evaluative studies have not found these projects to improve diet or weight status for shoppers. Though known to be influential, existing evaluations have neglected in-store social dynamics and shopper behaviors. Surveys and walking interviews were used with shoppers (n = 32) at a supermarket developed through the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative in Philadelphia, PA. Key informant interviews with stakeholders in the supermarket’s development and operations provided additional context to these shopper experiences. Data were collected in July and September 2014 and qualitatively analyzed in NVivo 10.0. Participants described how the retailer helped them adapt or cope with difficult shopping routines and how it presented a reliable high-quality option (in terms of cleanliness, orderliness, and social atmosphere) in contrast to other neighborhood retailers. Health concerns were also identified, especially among those managing chronic disease for themselves or a family member. These issues underscored multiple points of challenge required to adjust shopping and eating behavior. In-store supports that reflect these challenges are warranted to more fully address food deserts and reduce health disparities.

- by Kimberlee Chambers
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- Agriculture, Local and regional food systems, Food deserts, Food and Culture

The 2014 Tasmanian Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB) survey is the first state-wide cross-sectional survey focussing on the availability, cost and affordability of a basket of basic healthy food items throughout Tasmania. Food shop selection was based on four shops categories including Major Supermarkets, Minor Supermarkets, General and Convenience Shops and Fruit and Vegetable Shops. Analysis focussed on availability, cost and affordability of the HFAB at the geographical levels of state-wide, Statistical Area 4 (SA4) regions and Local Government Areas as well as Socio-Economic Index For Area and Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia. The results of the 2014 survey highlight considerable variability in the availability and cost of the HFAB. Access to healthy food may be more challenging in regional areas if people have to use a limited range of food shops particularly General and Convenience Shops. Families living in towns serviced by a limited number of food shops and shop c...

- by Sandra L Murray
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- Food Security and Insecurity, Food Security, Food deserts, Food Access

- by Kate Johns-Galvin
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- Urban Anthropology, Applied Anthropology, Food deserts, Urban Gardening
- by Dr. Francesca Zampollo
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- Food deserts, Food Design Thinking