The Northview neighborhood in Manhattan, Kansas is a food desert. But what is a food desert? And how does living in a food desert affect a person’s health?
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
Disclaimer: We the authors of this blog are Landscape Architecture students at Kansas State University. This blog is a part of a larger class project focused on community engagement, design, and education. Our goal is to share health information that may benefit residents of the Northview Neighborhood in Manhattan, Kansas. We are not experts! Resources for all information presented can be found at the bottom of this page.
“Health requires healthy food.” –Roger Williams
Food is essential for all humans, but where do you get your food if you live further away from a grocery store than most Americans? What happens to your body if you are unable to get nutritious food at a reasonable price? Many Americans know the answers to these questions as many Americans live in what is called a food desert. But what qualifies as a food desert?
What is a Food Desert?
A food desert is a community with the following characteristics:
at least 500 residents
access to affordable and nutritious food is difficult
a poverty rate of 20% or greater
at least 33% of the population live more than 1 mile from a large grocery store
In summary, a food desert is a community where 1/3 of the residents live more than one mile away from a grocery store where healthy food is sold at an affordable price.
Where are the Food Deserts?
We can learn a lot about food insecurity from food desert maps created by data gathered from the United States Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately, every state has a few food deserts, meaning approximately 23.5 million Americans live in a food desert. Below, we see food deserts in every state with larger food deserts on the west and smaller food deserts to the east.
Graphic by Xing Huang. Based on information from USDA
Below we see Kansas has a few food deserts. Riley County has two food deserts one of which encompasses the entire Northview Neighborhood being 100% of Northview residents live in a food desert.
Graphic by Xing Huang. Based on information from USDA
Now that we know the stats, let's see how living in a food desert effects a person's livelihood:
What is the Effect of a Food Desert?
Food Insecurity
Residents of food deserts are forced to buy inexpensive, low-quality foods since access to grocery stores is limited. These residents may get their food from convenience stores and fast food restaurants where the variety of foods needed for a healthy diet such as fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh dairy and lean meat products are unavailable or sold at a higher cost. This puts those who live in food deserts at a financial and nutritional disadvantage.
Decline in Health
People who live in food deserts who experience food insecurity are at a higher risk of type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.
“Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” ―Winston Churchill
While many Americans are experiencing food insecurity, it is important to remember that food deserts are the result of structural inequities like income level, distance to a grocery store, and even vehicle access. Food deserts will not go away until things change at a structural level. As individuals it is our duty to do the best we can with what we have.
Check out our other blog posts for ways to make small changes at an individual scale to create a healthier diet!
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