Living In a Food Desert Documentary
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- Опубликовано: 3 мар 2015
- Across Virginia - from Hampton to Richmond, Petersburg to
Lynchburg to Wise County and all points in between - approximately 17.8 percent of Virginia's population live in food desert. This documentary was produced by VSU as part of a study on food insecurity in the College of Agriculture.
Produced by Jesse Vaughan & Cedric Owens - Co-Producer Dr. Jewel Hairston - Narrator Daphne Maxwell Reid
Most areas problem is security. Looting and shop lifting and all that crazy stuff. . . . .
This is about education and finance. . . . .
Good luck
Blessings in abundance to you and all those that cross your path:)
For everyone wondering why these people don't grow their own food on the apparently unused land:
First, most people today don't know how to farm. Farming is a skill that takes a long time to learn. The consequences for not knowing how to grow your own food when its your primary means of sustenance is starvation.
Second, just because land is not used doesn't mean it's not owned by someone. Establishing a farm on someone else's land without their permission can result in your farm getting plowed-over if the land owner doesn't want you growing crops there.
1.) RUclips and google has taught me basic knowledge of how to plant and grow fruits and vegetables in my area and I live in Arizona which is not an easy climate to grow, yet despite only $50 of investment and some RUclips tutorials I have managed to plant my vegetable garden and several fruit trees that supply me with more than enough fruit/vegetables.
2.) land ownership could be an issue for those whom rent, however for example that church instead of doing all that is does could create a community garden or another local land owner could do this. You cannot tell me 100% of citizens in that food desert are renters. And if they were that would suggest a serious issue with the town and land speculators in which there is a larger problem than the food desert.
Put seed in dirt. Water it.
@@luckylagreturns4727 a lot of people in poverty rent cuz they can't afford to own land or houses so this disproportionately affects them
But isn't the people aloud to have a green house or a small vegetable patch in their garden ?
@@shiddyshmiddy2360 well said
In poor neighborhoods in Chicago, there are Food Desert. But you can be assured there's a liquid store selling highly processed junk food and candy on every corner. You will also find greasy spoon fast food establishment. Poor people has to travel miles to shop for fresh produce. And in these food desert neighborhoods you have the highest population of people and children that suffer from many mental and physical health problems. As the saying goes "you are what you eat."
Thats also where the crime is which scares the owners of the stores away.
Lady, grocery stores would have to charge more to put a store in a high crime area. They have to have higher security, take into account more theft, etc.
Poor people “have”
Well said
And why do you think it is like that in Chicago? Could it have anything to do with the rampant theft that is currently forcing Walmart to close half of their Chicago stores? Why in the world would any business want to locate in such a place?
The term 'food desert" was new to me until I clicked to watch this. It's nice to see the community efforts leading to something great. I wish you all every success with this endeavour. The Netherlands.
they need community gardens!
This is a worldwide problem. I live in Moscow, and there is a lot of areas, without vegetable departments. Low income cause of this problem. Volunteers on urban farms will not solve this problem. Every citizen in food desert should be a farmer for himself and grow carrots, cucumbers, radishes, beets, potatoes, etc. It does not require great skill and physical activity also improves the health of many of the aged and disabled people. Volunteers need to teach people how to grow a large crop of vegetables near the house. I see a girl who spends a day to bring two bags of vegetables for the people. This is ridiculous! It's PR but not the solution. Volunteering should be effective as any activity.
+Alexander Novoselov Yes sir! Thank you! Exactly why I started my youtube channel. Try to convince my family and friends that a garden instead of a yard can feed them. Hasn't worked well. Very much afraid for the future of the world. Wish you were my next door neighbor.
We have no such problems in France, you can find any fresh food you want, absolutely everywhere, at low price.
lv seen many stories on the news about France having riots because their are so many poor people that cant afford rent or food
You dont know what you re talking about, Europe is not like that at all!
Then Australias news stories are full of lies , and theyv lied about something as important as that , lm sorry l was only going on what ld heard on own news stories
Those volunteers are really amazing !💐💐💐
It would be really great if this was Close captioned so those of us with hearing impairments can enjoy and learn from this documentary too
blame god
would be great if it was in brail too
I believe you can turn on the subtitles to read any RUclips video
@@bmlevertonful They have to have it enabled. Even auto captions would be better than nothing but currently the person who posted it didn't enable them.
@watashi being they posted the video they could simply enable auto captions but they didn't ..... I left a comment on the video so that the poster can simply click the auto caption button which is better than nothing when it comes to captioning and google does an auto generated caption.... The owner of the video is the one who posted it (Virginia State University as they claim to be at least) and thus I requested they caption it .... I cannot send a direct message to the person managing this channel so I'm not sure what better option I have.
Reduce laws enforcing the wasteful monoculture, grass
If People can farm they can have more options
How green could we make the cities?
What happened to Victory gardens?
Charity begins at home if one person took it upon themselves and had a backyard garden and teach people, even kids it will go a long way. Change starts from you, clearly the government doesn't care that much
Why can't the big stores at least deliver to those areas? In the UK, all major supermarkets deliver to your home for just an extra £2-6, which is especially important for elderly and sick people who can't get around. The driver will even carry it all up the stairs for you
They can, but it's not lucrative. The people most affected by food deserts are below poverty and many are homeless. They do not have the expenses to pay delivery fees.
Actually most of the time its free unless its ocado where it is completely online
but in those very few areas they have hyper markets not far off or a huge sainsburys or asda
And actually you are never far from at the least a lidl, aldi, Tesco express, sainsburys (large and small) or in mainly urban areas you can find a meditaranean grocery store and also halal butchers
The UK is not like an American ghetto. The delivery drivers would just end up getting robbed. Allowing violence and theft to become everyday occurrences has its drawbacks. Nobody wants to locate there, and nobody wants to deliver there.
This is an awesome perspective of food deserts! I can not wait to show it to my Civil Eats Club.
I love the idea of community gardens
These people working toward solutions and helping others inspire me.
Lots of good black male role models in this documentary. Nice to see.
Most 3rd world countries have fresh food, speaks volumes about the USA.
Yeah, the food is delicious and all those shit hole countries.
Taylor Hanson has been doing an amazing job about quitting these food deserts in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Congratulations!
I was thinking, maybe an idea would be for people to buy frozen food or freeze it themselves the leftover, that way they can have a stock of good vegetable and fruits in their freezer, so they eat more fruit and vegetables. Legumes when bought dry can keep for a long time and can be hydrated and then boiled for good nutrients, like protein and fibers.
This is a very well done film! Thank you VSU for producing this film and sharing it for free on RUclips. By sharing this film with the public, your team has made the matter of food insecurity much more understandable for all audiences. There are so many written reports in circulation that explain the severity of food insecurity across the USA but in today's world, hearing the voices of real people and seeing the faces of really people is much easier for more people to understand. Excellent work!
Duran Chavis is simply an inspiration. Harding Street Community Agriculture Center is a model of food empowerment. #awed.
The fight against food desserts can be supported by signing the petition at www.ipetitions.com/petition/freshucation
Fantastic, thank you!
In my country, Kenya you can grow any food on your land or rear livestock without anyone approval. You just buy seeds, or livestock and you are done. A huge percent of rural homes consume what they have harvested and sell the surplus. Getting the community or people grow their food may help.
this has inspired me to get out into the community and help this cause. gonna make that happen!
Krista Moore you go Krista take a friend with you 😊
thank you for making this powerful documentary dealing with food insecurity
It is possible to grow 6 to 8 times the amount of calory and nutrient-dense vegetables per unit area in those empty yards ais in traditional row farming. Harvest rain and use it to water those plants. "Google" biointensive farming or do yhe same on RUclips. You will be rewarded with loads of info. and instructions on hoe to grow your own food in your own yard. Let those teens learn the skills to feed themselves and family.
Yes Kim I care I'm going to study and try to start my own farm one day.
the only real solution to food deserts is to have the very people who live in food deserts sustainably grow their own food in their own houses and in all vacant land around. urban horticulture is practiced all over the world, it is easy and cost effective and people like Angelos Eliades, Toensmeier and Bates and the Dervaes family show that it can be not only more than enough but a smashing success. design of the highest level would help those food desert inhabitants ditch all their lawns and ornamental plants to have not only seasonal crops but also perennial productive trees and animal systems in their houses (chickens, fish, etc).
truly sustainable human existence would require every person to grow their own food and all the vegetation they can, self sustaining and self sufficient food forests to be established everywhere and only passive technologies to be utilized for water harvesting, heating, cooling and illuminating human dwellings. urban horticulture, or growing productive plants in cities is the best solution to the most pressing problems of minorities and disadvantaged people: it would help solve malnutrition, unemployment, poverty, idleness, sedentarism, criminality and would also be magnificent for the environment.
+tradingfoursj i've been evicted for growing food in pots on my patio. right now, i don't have access to running water. and water is expensive. so is clean soil and many of us live in environmental racism. and what about disabled people?
+GrannyGamer1 That's awful! I am also worried because I am planning to grow container tomato plants on my porch this year. While I own my mobile home, I don't own the land it sits on. The management company that leases the lots is VERY strict and probably won't like my unsightly tomato plants. I can't help it though because I really want tomatoes and every other square inch of my yard that gets sunlight is already full with other things I have planted. People shouldn't have to live in fear of eviction for growing our own food! This is a disgrace! I am so sorry that happened to you!!!
GrannyGamer1 what the hell is environmental racism?
"Politicians don't do shit for us." Well Charlotte hit that nail right on its head.
Maybe expecting others to hand you things is part of the problem.
Very good documentary.
I went from living in Washington state being full of healthy fruit and vegetables to Chicago, IL. Only then did I realize how expensive fresh grocery was. I spent $100 a month for myself a month on food I only ate grains, legumes and omg fruits and veggies was over half my bill. I was used to buying apples for cents, 3lbs tomatoes for about a dollar, carrots for nothing.
I was so far from home and this was my biggest struggle. Fresh produce is something that everyone should have, it's not hard to grow but there's limitations everywhere.
This is a wonderful and inspiring video. It highlights a nationwide problem and shows solution and hope.
AllegedPhilo AllegedPhilo my country is staking grain. Seriously. I’m German. It’s called “zivile Notfallreserve” (civil emergency reserve) could feed everyone at least once a day for several weeks.
It’s not necessarily that it isn’t profitable for a grocery store to exist in these areas, there are thousands of other factors in play. A simple solution and I’m gonna use phrase instead of giving a man a fish why not teach him how to fish. So instead of selling these people fresh produce why not educate them and provide them with the proper seeds, water and tools needed to garden in there backyards. I myself in a food desert have done this, it costed me about $40 to plant several fruit trees and a vegetable garden, we can now eat most if not all of our fruit and vegetables from this. Educate yourself and diy is how you solve problems effecting you. The reality is only you can solve your problems, don’t wait around for other people to.
Thanks ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Get the community to grow food together it'd not hard . Seed earth and water plus the rewards and educating would be great .
In chicago, they give out lots of land for free to poor neighborhoods, and no one is taking advantage of it. Growing your own food is the solution. Just think, what did people do before a convenience store? It's no excuse.
Alot of places don't have that
People make choices. Many produce markets go out of business in these areas due to not sell products. I am an African American Vegan teacher, 20 years, I can find nutritious food anywhere. I see students dump fruit and veggies daily in the trash but they will eat the junk like processed chicken nuggets, boxed mac, and cheese....As for fast food joints, oftentimes, impoverished people believe that the more fast food choices in the neighborhood the better. People are addicted to bad food.
the narrator sounds just like Aunt Viv from Fresh Prince.
+ad30jone nvrmind..it is her
Maybe this Pastor can spent part of the sermon on gardening. With as much time people spend at church this community would be pro gardeners in no time. Thanks
can spend
Can spend
Can spend
In my city, the majority of the population is low income. Most areas have lots of grocery stores
Same as where I live. The woman in the video is in a high crime area. That's the problem.
I don't get why there is no idea of establishing traditional/public markets in these food deserts. I know it sounds like something you find in developing countries but some developed nations such as Singapore, South Korea and even US neighbor Canada (i.e. St Lawrence) still maintain their presence. Not that it offers the freshest ingredients (due to lack or no refrigerations), but it also provides employment and greater chance for entrepreneurship. A better idea than just relying on big box stores to open up establishment.
You didn't see the video these people are lazy and will only accept fruits if given for free they seem to be way to dependent on other people and not dependent on themselves I mean why they don't support there local stores that did sold fruits why did they got up and left? Yet junk food stores thrive and more and more keep opening up. If the people wanted fruits there actions would of prove it for now they just want free stuff to give people the illusion there eating healthy but won't spend there hard earn money to support local grocery selling fruits and vegetables these people mentally is the problem this is just a propaganda media stunt to force government intervention were it is not needed these people can solve there problem by changing there eating habits and buy fruits instead of accepting only when it's free
Proud to be a Virginian.....we r doing something
Alot of people in the comment section are saying "just grow your own food" have no clue what they're talking about. It's NOT that simple. In the U.S. people that live in urban communities have been systematically oppressed for over 500 years. Food deserts were created by design. People that live in low-income neighborhoods are just trying to survive day to day. Do Not blame them for these circumstances. Plus, how can someone who has several health issues or barely mobile go grow some crops.
If you build your city based on the dreamy assumption that EVERYONE is wealthy and healthy enough to own and operate their own personal car at all times, and spread things out accordingly, well, THIS is the UNSURPRISING consequence.
That's why I will always stay in the "historical" cities on the East Coast that were designed before cars. Oh yeah, there are grocery stores EVERYWHERE.
Great to see people growing their own food
Very informative documentary, thank you!
Thank you Pastor continue to do God's will
Green space is needed to grow food and land is gone all over. No farms, no food..
I can't remember seeing a veggie market in our city only at peddle market place.
Gardening is the most important common sense solution. Everyone needs to grow all they can possibly figure out how to grow. Gardens everywhere, yards, windowboxes, raised beds, containers of all sizes and all kinds. Bigger containers work best, because they hold more soil and more moisture.
Can be done on the cheap without any money whatsoever. Regrow your pantry, literally folks. Dry beans any kind. Popcorn. Potatos. Garlic cloves. Regrow vegetables, look it up on RUclips.
Every single pepper, every tomato, every winter squash comes with plenty of good seeds. Grow some, and learn how to properly save and store seeds. Grow any old seeds you may have. Most will grow just fine, but might take longer to sprout.
Even young children can learn these skills. Plenty of videos teaching us all how to do anything related to growing our own edibles available at our fingertips, on the internet.
Happy gardening to all, everyone and everywhere.
People make choices. Many produce markets go out of business in these areas due to not sell products. I am an African American Vegan teacher, 20 years, I can find nutritious food anywhere. I see students dump fruit and veggies daily in the trash but they will eat the junk like processed chicken nuggets, boxed mac, and cheese....As for fast food joints, oftentimes, impoverished people believe that the more fast food choices in the neighborhood the better. People are addicted to bad food.
In big cities most big grocery stores leave the high crime areas for the safer neighborhoods. So who's fault is that, the grocery store or the criminals in those high crime nieghborhoods? I certainly wouldn't want to own or even work in a store there.
can you enable auto-captioning?
Businesses don't want to locate in ghetto neighborhoods because of the crime. It just doesn't pay.
There'd be less crime if those people had access to good jobs and good food.
why does not the church have a farmer's market every Sunday
Because churches only be there for the money, never for people health or happiness.
also, I lived and worked in a food deserts of unhealthy foods and miles away to get healthy access for quality food
Didnt know what a food desert was until I watched this. I certainly take access to good food in my country for granted. I feel so ignorant I thought it was growing food in a desert duh!
Feed more yeah thank you
right organic or free-range is 4 times higher..it seems it is only for the rich or certain level income.If only healthy,natural food would be affordable.
perhaps the local stores could sell more healthy options and allow fruits and vegetables stalled in the shop rather then rows of sweets and soda drinks
I don’t understand this, but to be fair, I’d organize bountiful baskets coop and plant dandelion micro greens inside my house just like I have now. Those are free. Then I’d plant mint, potatoes and beans. I hydroponically regrow lettuces and cabbages as well. I live where a corner store is 1 mi away and a Kroger is 3 mi away. I get Instacart or Cornershop delivery - and I definitely get organics even on limited budget.
I’ve regrown beans and cabbages from food stamps. But I do have the advantages of having lived on a commune where we worked on a number of sustainability and permaculture issues. Many states let you buy seed and there is no limit to buying regrowable produce. That’s my solution. Micro greens and beans with shelf stable grains. I aim for better with fruits - but you do at least need a patio with a clean enough growing profile for a dewberry bush or muscadine vine.
I have sympathy for those people living in food deserts through no fault of their own. I have no sympathy at all for residents of neighbourhoods that steal constantly from stores like Walmart, forcing them to eventually cut their loses and leave, as in Chicago and Portland.
mmm, living in a food dessert
The people need to get the convenience stores to carry what they want.
Hey! That is what the convenience stores are already doing. They only stock what the people WANT.
Will Murray no wonder there suffering from obesity these people are entitled fools they can solve there own problems there just too selfish to care
@@kenshinscott their suffering
@@donsweet6133 there suffering because they are ignorant they are nothing more then lazy dependent on government hangouts they can't pay for fruits they will rather waste there money on sweet drinks and junk food who is to blame for chasing away there local grocery stores and forcing people to just sell junk food instead. They complain about lack of food but they just want free food so they can spend there money on junk food which solves nothing food desert is a unrealistic term just a excuse to get more government assistance to people who can solve there problem by changing there food habits instead of expecting other people to change for them.
I order ready to eat meals on line and they are very cheap, I am alone, my husband died and I am old so it doesn't matter what I eat, I just get what I can get that's cheap. I still eat pretty good and go through fast food drive throughs and get a salad when I want some fresh salad and anything else I can get fresh.
They would let one of the Churches start a veggie market they put up fast food restaurant.
Maybe Arabbers of Baltimore could do some business in DC and Virginia. That would get the community some fresh vegetables.
I also live in Baltimore and most people wouldn't have any idea what an Araber is. The name is slang for people who drive through a low income area with either their pickup truck or their horse drawn wagon loaded with in season fruits and vegetables. The selection is always changing with whatever is ripening at any particular time. Their prices are reasonable and smart vendors take credit cards and food stamps. Baltimore is the only city that I know of that continues this century old tradition.
Im still confused on what a food desert is.
I have given gift cards (Whole Foods Market) to poor people. They still wouldn’t go.
People make choices. Many produce markets go out of business in these areas due to not sell products. I am an African American Vegan teacher, 20 years, I can find nutritious food anywhere. I see students dump fruit and veggies daily in the trash but they will eat the junk like processed chicken nuggets, boxed mac, and cheese....As for fast food joints, oftentimes, impoverished people believe that the more fast food choices in the neighborhood the better. People are addicted to bad food.
@@lizdoll63 People may be addicted to the additives in processed foods or certain food proteins.
Square foot community , school, church gardens.
I don't get something, like why doesn't the government regulate the distribution of supermarkets and grocery stores? Of course it's nice to see people willing to help others, but it looks like USA doesn't give a sh*t about its citizens. I think the government should be for people and not vice versa... Sad. So grateful to be living in Europe.
How much power do you want to give the government if people keep thinking the government should just take care of them and all there need the more help you keep ask the government to help with the more freedom the American people loess it seems to me like you're asking for basically I came to support us and make sure that we just have a roof over her head and race people need to take care care there own need and find a way
Online ordering ?
They have to pay for deliveries.
They might not be able to order online, a lot of these people rely on cash only
sometimes i can understand people ...in country with so much space people are unable to let grow there own vegetables
These farms all seem to depend on volunteer work to stay in business. That is disappointing. Surely there is a way to make it self-sustaining.
Knowledge is power. However, I hope they are as much as possible letting people PAY for food and not always expect that it should be "distributed". People need to learn to make the good choice to pay for good food. Buy from the vegetable truck versus the ice cream truck. The idea is about ACCESS. Helping people to learn to grow food... LOVE it!!
A grocery store is not a charity organization; it does need to be able to pay it's employees, pay for inventory, taxes, etc. Perhaps the government can give them tax breaks for moving into a food desert. I admit to being put off by the lady in the wheelchair who was smoking while being given food. However that's where loving your neighbor as yourself comes in rather than how we think they deserve to be treated.
No, knowledge isn't power, the right knowledge is power and knowledge implemented is power, other wise its just a waste of time and effort.
Plant every inch of the lawn and empty grass patch in the city problem solve
Jeffrey Tan so true I see many empty spaces in this video, there is great satisfaction in growing and eating your own food. The government or church groups, could help by supplying good soil just to get them started.
Politicians are not youre babysitter,it was youre neighbors and family srealing that drove the stores out.
no mame ms nguyen todo esto quiere que mire
I would love to live in some chocolate cake or warm apple pie. What are some of your favourite deserts to live in?
The idea that 1 mile is considered a long distance to travel to get to grocery store. Lets continue to lower the bar for people to be victims
Smh at the blame game. Ironic how the people in this video keep saying, " They took our grocery stores." Yes, there were once grocery stores in your area, so you were given the same opportunities as other areas.. No one "took them" . They went away because they weren't profitable likely due to people not buying enough products, excessive taxes/lawsuits and not being able to staff the stores with quality people. And what's up with this griping about grocery stores being three miles away? When I was a little girl visiting my grandmother, she and I walked three miles to the grocery store several times a week. Just sayin.
You hit the word on the head...PROFIT. It always comes down to making a profit and greed, rather than possibly doing what is right in a community. If people cannot afford to "buy enough product", I guess in your eyes they should be penalized. Like the documentary stated, we live in a country where fresh produce cost more than junk food.I am glad that you and your grandmother were healthy enough to walk 6 miles (round trip) to the store several times a week. How about inclement weather, those who are ill, those who have several children and no child care, those who work many hours, for little pay, and need to go at night. My mother is 93 and lives in another state. She does not drive. As she ages, she has gotten unstable, so going out on her own is not always safe or convenient. My sister works long hours, but takes her when she can, as does my nephew. The closest store to my mom is about a mile, which in her younger years she walked to - regularly. In fact, my mom did not drive until the age of 45 and walked or bussed everywhere up to that point. My point is that now days, it is not always safe, or possible to walk to your nearest grocer.
I guess, according to you, if people live in a low income area which does not have a grocery store and, cannot walk 3 miles, for whatever reason, they do not deserve to have healthy food options. I am glad you are so well off that you are able to make this statement. I hope that you are never in the predicament that getting healthy food is an obstacle. However, in my experience, most people these days are 1 or 2 paychecks from needing assistance in some form.
First of all, it's obvious that you only focused on one aspect of what I said. Other than profit, there ARE reasons why the grocery stores left. Lawsuits, higher taxes, not being able to staff their stores, etc. And I'll add high crime and pressure from community organizers and officials to that. I have family that work in grocery store management and, believe me, stores do move due to all those aforementioned reasons. Maybe you don't get it, but those stores WERE once in the areas, so those areas WERE given a chance. The people living there didn't support the store thus they, the people in the area, BLEW it. Why should grocery store stay where it's not profitable, where it is very hard to manage, or where their staff isn't safe? They don't have to and they should NOT. Here's a thought. How about cleaning up the areas of high crime so EVERY thing will get better instead of trying to find a scapegoat. Additionally, this country, like most first world countries, has programs of financial aid available to help the poor eat, so there is NO excuse that people don't have enough money. I don't buy your BS excuses, nor do I buy the BS excuses listed by the makers of this video. You CAN find healthy foods and fresh produce that are along the same costs as junk foods. Sure poor people can't buy the premium products, but they can STILL find plenty of cheap and healthy foods. Beans and brown rice are some of the healthiest, most nutritious foods on the planet and are affordable for ANY person in this country, no matter how poor. Beans/lentils/legumes and rice are a staple of a healthy WHOLE foods diet and have allowed the human race to survive and THRIVE. (Same for beans/lentils/legumes and another complex carb like potatoes, corn or wheat.) I've done the math and to eat beans with brown rice varies from less than 50 CENTS a serving (non-organic) to less than $ 1.25 a serving (organic). Substitute the beans for some types of lentils and its even cheaper. Add a few fresh or frozen fruits and veggies to that bean/rice dish and you have a VERY healthy whole food meal. But what do I most commonly see when I'm in the check out line at the grocery store and someone is on food stamps assistance (same goes for even those not on assistance) ? Large amounts of prepackaged and convenience junk foods, meats/dairy/eggs, sugary drinks or sofas, sugary baked goods, chips, a few fruits and veggies, and white bread, so thats WAY too much protein, too much fat and too much empty carbohydrates. There's NO excuse for this! Even if you want convenience foods, buying canned beans and quick rice is STILL cheaper and healthier than than all that cr*p I see people buy. The obesity epidemic in this country is due to people wanting quick/convenience foods and wanting "tasty" high sugar/fat foods. It's not because of grocery stores being 3 miles away. Go to ANY grocery store ANYWHERE at any time of day and more than half the people you will see THERE are overweight and obese. Don't you get it? It's not the distance, it's people's choices. Plenty of fat people live WITHN that three mile distance to the grocery store, more fat people than thin people, so how do you explain that? You are even blaming inclement weather and lack of child care? Good Lord, do you want the grocery stores to solve ALL your problems? My grandmother was poor, with 12 kids, 20+ grandchildren, lived in the mountains of Tennessee and there were harsh winters every year. This was 40 years ago, before the age of over entitlements and government babysitting , so she had enough sense to stock up when she knew winter was coming or a stormy time. She never learned to drive so she also walked to her job, mostly didn't matter what the weather was. As far as grocery store, she took the kids with her, the older kids/grandkids were sent by themselves sometimes, she'd ask a relative/friend to drive, or she took a taxi. When she couldn't walk anymore, or there wasn't a ride available, a relative or friend would go for her. When she couldn't do that anymore, it was because she was so old that we knew she needed assistance so we got her assistance. We paid for it, but there ARE also programs available for those who can't pay. Again, no excuses. So with your 93 year old grandmother, sounds like your family should look into getting her assistance. My family has had times of good and bad, devein got on job situations, there were hard times and times of plenty. When times got tough, we ate like what we could afford and, ironically, we were actually healthy for it because we couldn't afford chips/cookies and junk food. A bag of dried beans is around $2 and makes 8 servings, more than enough to feed a family of four. Add some brown rice/white potatoes/whole corn ($3-$5) to that and you have healthy whole foods that are complete proteins filled with antioxidants and healthy macronutrients. A salad with tomatoes and greens/lettuce or some broccoli is around $3 to $4. Bananas, apples or citrus for 4 people rounds out the meal for $2 to $4, so you can have a healthy meal for a family of for that costs from $10 to $15. That is as cheap or even cheaper than most cr*p foods people are eating these days, certainly cheaper than eating at a fast food joint. As far as grocery stores not being near, beans and rice can be bought in bulk and last for months, so you don't have to go grocery shopping every day. Those other foods I mentioned can last a week or more if refrigerated, so you can go to the grocery store only about once a week and still be able to have FRESH food. People just don't want to do that, but yet they find ways of getting to other places. That is the root cause of their problems and it's their own fault. I'm sure you will come up with plenty more excuses, but don't bother. I've lived through times where the staple of my diet was beans/rice, so I'm not fooled by all the BS in this video, nor do I accept the excuses you are making. Yes, some of those who are elderly or handicapped may need some special assistance, but they don't make up the majority of the population that are in these "food deserts" and they aren't the majority of those who are are whining about "they took our grocery stores". The majority of those whiners are healthy adults who CAN find ways of getting to the store or can get off their a$$ and walk. By the looks of them, most of them NEED to walk. But all this talk of "food deserts could be avoided if, when a grocery store opens, the people of that community SUPPORT it.
Linda Linton if the store does not make money it can't stock the shelves or pay it's employees or keep the lights on. Its not greed.
CSWRB I bought a house in a marginalized neighborhood. I did so because of the long term city plan for development. I was thinking for my own economic future of course. I didn’t even assess the availability of the nearest grocery store as my favorite grocery store was about 4.5 miles away and Trader Joe’s was about the same ( we had 3 vehicles and a motorcycle at the time). Once we settled in the inconvenience became clear because the unbranded grocery store about 1/2 a mile from my house was disgusting and the prices were way inflated. Not to mention if you needed an avocado or pineapple forget it. I didn’t shop there on principle. You will not overcharge me just because. Same issue with people of lower income and people of color ( don’t cry it’s proven BOA had to settle not long ago for this reason) paying more interest for cars and houses. Bottom line if the corporate grocery stores came in with fair prices they would earn a fair profit. By the way they did build a Corporate grocery store near me and I do price check them and they are higher on some items than in suburbia...
Don’t believe me... take a field trip on Saturday.
Why don’t they plant gardens?
RAMPANT SHOPLIFTING & VIOLENT CRIME !!! Stores leave because they cannot make a profit!
l live in Australia and we have had this same problem for many generations , when the problem is world wide then a real solution needs to be made accessible. A real solution would be giving communities vast aces of unused land to grow vegetables , because it isnt right to have so many hungry and unhealthy people, while you have a alcohol and smoke shop on nearly every corner , lts like the days of having a pub and hotel on every corner , people need to know they are allowed to look after themselves and their families.
Rubbish! I'm Australian too and when I lived in Melbourne I used to walk an average of 5 km to the supermarket, living in several different suburbs where the same was true in each (the nearest 'convenience store' was generally far further and only spotted when buying petrol); and now I'm in the bush, I drive 25km to our small local supermarket (or a hundred to the nearest Coles).
Seriously, where are these fabled Australian "food deserts", Tennant Creek?! Because I've never known one, in any of the places I've lived or travelled to ... hell, even Innaminka has a General Store!
@@Loribyn im Australian and totally agree with you
This is fixable just need people in government both national and state to care, we are in 2020
Who is the “they” that have taken away your supermarkets and fresh food stands?
watch Food Inc
I have to live in a food dessert. No matter how much I exercise I can't lose weight. It's impossible to buy skim milk. All they have is fatty whole milk
Exercising is not the path to losing weight. Eating less calories than you burn is.
Teach them to grow vegs, even to make green house so they make food. And end of the drama
Imagine Africans or North Koreans in famine striken literal deserts watching this...
Commercialization of food as food industry instead of basic human survival needs... Barren unused country lands and it's illegal migration of people's to the country is what making your America problematic.
More grocery stores are not needed. More people growing their own food is needed.
These problems will continue to exist so long as people continue to rely on a fragile just in time food system.
To grow your own food you have to have the land to grow it on. Unused land does not mean someone doesn't own the land. Also there is zoning, as some areas don't allow growth of own food or having small animals to slaughter for food.
We need to take it to the street and protest. And boycott groceries store in the name of food desert areas.
Or protest all the theft that stores like Walmart experience, that causes them to leave places like Chicago. Do you really think I am going to stop going to a supermarket in my area because some people are thieves in other areas?
This seems intentionally misleading. The fact that people have to drive a few miles to a grocery store is not some unthinkable burden. The lack of transportation options (for the poor, elderly, and inform) is the issue, there, and discount grocery stores every mile, everywhere, isn't really a solution.
I also hate the misleading implications that you can't be healthy without lots of super fresh, raw vegetables. A can of fruit is still nutritious. Potato, rice etc have more vitamins/minerals than people realize (and long shelf life). Fortified foods like bread provide many vitamins. The one single food you could best survive on its a supreme pizza. There are plenty of ways to stay rather healthy in less than ideal circumstances, and the lacking element seems to be education, which more stores doesn't solve, either.
The volunteers are doing good work, and improving these people's lives, but I'm not sure that's the most critical symptom.
You are correct! People make choices. Many produce markets go out of business in these areas due to not sell products. I am an African American Vegan teacher, 20 years, I can find nutritious food anywhere. I see students dump fruit and veggies daily in the trash but they will eat the junk like processed chicken nuggets, boxed mac and cheese....As for fast food joints, oftentimes, impoverished people believe that the more fast food choices in the neighborhood the better. People are addicted to bad food.
This is honestly heartbreaking. Isn't the US government ashamed that the burden is on regular folks to donate their time and energy and produce to helping this issue? Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely wonderful that so many people are willing to help, but this responsibility just should not fall on the general public. It's despicable.
It is not up to the government to feed you. And if folks stopped stealing so much in some neighbourhoods, maybe some big stores like Walmart would locate there. I have no sympathy for those living in food deserts of their own making through theft and general violence. Why would a business want to locate in such a place?
A grocery store is a for profit business. When the community is loaded with shoplifters, drug addicts and gangs don't act surprised when a company refuses to take the risk of opening up shop in said community. How about making the neighborhood safe and business friendly. Private companies aren't obligated to open stores in dangerous places.
The very real fact is, if the stores made money in these areas, they would still be there. This lady is talking about the crappy foods being easy to get. If the people in the areas bought at these stores, they would still be there. The time has long since passed for people to do what's best, and stop blaming everyone else.
At 22:26 It's nothing to motivate giving when you don't smoke and you see people who have $$$ for cigarettes but ask your help to feed themselfs.
In my case I did quit smoking in 1999 and got rid of my car in 2000. So I don't smoke and I take the bus for over 20 years .
How do you think I did feel when I saw smokers lining up in their BMW'S to get a food basket in multiple vids on RUclips in 2020, 2021 and 2022 ???????
1:20 - talking about food deserts while filming open fields where food can be grown. I see yards and hedges where plenty of food can be grown.
People own that land, you can't just start a garden in someone else's field.
@@jessicah3450 I know that. There are also ways to work with property owners, such as leasing the land.
It seems like they're having some success with getting produce into stores that used to just sell candy, chips, and sodas. But then you just have candy, chips, sodas, and a little bit of produce (and maybe a tiny bit of fish from that aquaculture farm). I'm not saying the organizations are doing anything wrong *at all*, because feeding the whole community shouldn't be on their shoulders anyway, but what about meat, milk, eggs, bread, potatoes, beans, whole grains, veggie burgers, peanut butter, etc., etc.
Humans need calories, even the people who look like they're overweight. If I eat carrot sticks for a snack, they don't fill me up at all. If I eat a candy bar for a snack, I just get a sugar spike and feel like crap later. So if all I could eat were carrot sticks and candy bars, it would be a combination of either being hungry or feeling sick all the time. I do like what that Feedmore place is doing by making whole meals and serving them to people in need. There should be a place like that in every neighborhood, but especially ones where people are most in need of food access.
Omg, get some chickens and start gardening ! Fresh Eggs, Fresh Chicken , Fresh veggies ! Ppl are so brainwashed and helpless 😩🔫
Not all locations allow for farm animals, but even indoor gardening would probably help a little.
anyone else here for AP Human Geography?
nope
I did that in hs good luck
PLANT AN MAINTAIN A GARDEN IF POSSIBLE
Theft is what causes most food deserts.