COMMUNITY & REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: FOOD SYSTEMS-CRD 020

Addressing Food Inaccessibility through the Food Justice Movement

Everyone has a right to food, yet millions of people in minority groups in the United States and around the world do not have decent quality, good, and culturally convenient food. This is what has been labeled Food insecurity, and it arises squarely from a societal structure that is prejudiced on both racial and economic divides. As the world’s population grows, more people realize how important it is to boost food production while preserving biodiversity and the environment (Francis, et al., 2003). Food insecurity poses a complex problem that can be solved by a social movement such as the food justice movement. According to Stevenson et al. (2007) social movements are intentionally organized groups whose objective is to change the political, social, or economic spheres by organizing a sizable population and taking collective action. The food justice movement provides one effective foundation for addressing food insecurity disparities by offering a revolutionary way to address food inaccessibility giving communities the tools to regain control of their food systems.

Food insecurity exists in the equality of food availability demonstrated in classes and ethnic groups. A phenomenon like the food deserts, where people have little or no access to fresh, affordable food across the urban and rural demographics, leaves communities at the mercy of convenience stores and fast-food joints. This inequality is not a coincidence; it is systematic; for example, redlining diminished a particular geographic area’s worth depending on the race and income of residents and restricted access to investment cash. The industrial food system only makes this worse by leaving healthy, quality food for the affluent areas and leaving low-income areas with packaged and processed food. As such, clients within these areas have a terrible standard lifetime with aspects such as Obesity and diabetes that result from a lack of sufficient dietary foods, making it significant to work on the causes of Food insecurity (Galt, 2017).

Economic inequality worsens food insecurity, which limits access to proper nutrition even when fresh food is readily available. Due to inadequate finances, low-income households cannot purchase fresh and healthy foods at exorbitant prices compared to affordable calorie-dense processed foods (White, 2011). This situation is supported and maintained by the industrial food system encouraging the production and consumption of unhealthy cheap products. Besides, the growth in prices of organically grown foods and food produced by local farmers has become very high, making the foods out of reach for many with an implied positive correlation between the standard of living and food quality. These systematic barriers prevent peoples’ choices and are also regarded as enablers of a poor standard of living whereby people unable to feed themselves are unlikely to attain better education and standard employment to extricate themselves from these conditions.

The food justice movement seeks to correct the injustices of the current food system by using ecological rationality while considering race and class. In its most basic form, food justice is a transformative approach to addressing the inadequate access to affordable and healthy foods among the food-insecure communities. It would also seek to provide those communities with the tools to take back control over the food deserts they live in by removing barriers that prevent them from doing so. Unlike such small concerns as food deserts, this movement goes in search of such basic concerns as systemic racism and lack of economic power. Grass-root intervention strategies include farming within urban setting, production of food crops and agricultures produce through farmers Markets and the use of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSA is a transformative kind of partnership where customers pledge to assist local farmers whereby, in exchange for upfront payment, usually, the supported farm provides weekly food shares to its members (Galt et al., 2016).

An important objective of the food justice movement is to empower the underprivileged groups to tackle the root causes of food insecurity. Food justice activism and the practice of organizations involved in the activism include antiracism, sustainable communal food system, and civic agriculture. Hence, communities and organizations, such as those in the East Bay Area of California, Detroit, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and other cities, have been at the forefront of numerous food justice innovations (Galt, 2017). They have implemented new sustainable production systems and of trading within the system that empowers underprivileged groups, provides schools, and ultimately encourages people to engage in the food system. Higher degrees of community autonomy and empowerment have resulted from these initiatives for the participating groups and individuals.

Despite its successes, the food justice movement could also face limitations hindering its widespread effectiveness. Food justice initiatives have been criticized for being motivated by the “colonial impulse” of white, middle-class, and upper-class activists who wish to “bring good food to others” (Galt, 2017). Other people have voiced worries about the food justice movement’s firm reliance on markets and the state’s disengagement. These difficulties show how complementing tactics, such as policy lobbying and increased government involvement, are required to boost the effectiveness of grassroots initiatives and guarantee the inclusivity and scalability of food justice programs.

Food injustice is not an abstract concept for me; I saw it in action in my neighborhood as I grew up. Every day, I had to witness the neighboring population suffering from diseases caused by a lack of access to healthy and cheap food. The people used alternative stores and fast-food restaurants, which led to a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and a lower quality of life. Addressing Food insecurity is not only a call for focusing on people having access to healthier foods; it means changing the current system that entails unequal treatment. In some ways, the food justice movement’s principles and objectives need more significant adjustments to the world’s food systems. By adopting its principles, societies can resolve considerably related concerns like Climate Change, Global Hunger, and Economic Disparity, creating a more peaceful society in the future.

Food injustice is a complex social problem that stems from inequality in society and affects minority groups. Identifying the root causes and mitigating existing disparities, the food justice movement presents a valuable lens for transforming the current unjust food system. This movement not only addresses the issues and offers remedies in the form of initiatives like urban farming and community-supported agriculture but also identifies and addresses the injustices within the industrial food system by supporting the communities and creating a ground for revolution. Despite its challenges, the focus on the community, action, and Racial and Economic Justice concerning the movement shows its progressive politics. We could open a path to a more equitable food-safe community by supporting this goal.

References

Francis, C., Lieblein, G., Gliessman, S., Breland, T. A., Creamer, N., Harwood, R., Salomonsson, L., Helenius, J., Rickerl, D., Salvador, R., Wiedenhoeft, M., Simmons, S., Allen, P., Altieri, M., Flora, C., & Poincelot, R. (2003). Agroecology: The Ecology of Food Systems. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 22(3), 99–118. https://doi.org/10.1300/j064v22n03_10

Galt, R. E. (2017). Alternative Food Movement. International Encyclopedia of Geography: People, the Earth, Environment and Technology, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg0427

Galt, R. E., Bradley, K., Christensen, L., Fake, C., Munden-Dixon, K., Simpson, N., Surls, R., & Van Soelen Kim, J. (2016). What difference does income make for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members in California? Comparing lower-income and higher-income households. Agriculture and Human Values, 34(2), 435–452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-016-9724-1

Statista. (2024). Infographic: U.S. Food Insecurity Ticks up in Pandemic. Statista Infographics. https://www.statista.com/chart/25741/food-insecurity-us/

Stevenson, G. W., Ruhf, K., Lezberg, S., & Clancy, K. (2008, January 1). Warrior, builder, and weaver work: Strategies for changing the food system. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281430447_Warrior_builder_and_weaver_work_Strategies_for_changing_the_food_system

White, M. M. (2011). Environmental reviews & case studies: D-Town farm: African american resistance to food insecurity and the transformation of detroit. Environmental Practice, 13(4), 406–417. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1466046611000408