A food desert is an area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food,[1][2][3] in contrast with an area with higher access to supermarkets or vegetable shops with fresh foods, which is called a food oasis.[4] The designation considers the type and quality of food available to the population, in addition to the accessibility of the food through the size and proximity of the food stores.[5]
I think we in the states have lost touch with our roots. Where we used to have local farmers growing food for local markets, we now have chain stores that don't buy local.
Your fresh fruit comes from outside the local area, which doesn't help if the supply chains run out.
I think we need to get back to local farmers providing crops to local mills, which turn them into food for local markets. The same things should be done with local ranches.
As it stands, all they have to do is prevent food from coming into a town and they've got the town.
I miss my farmer's markets. Fresh grain, fresh fruits, fresh meats.
I'm assuming it is the same in the UK. Does anyone grow local crops for local markets anymore?
There are still a few genuine farmers markets around where I am in the Avon region between Bath and Bristol. When I say genuine, I mean the ones that focus on selling local produce from vegetables (in season) through cheeses, meat pies from locally grazed cattle and onto ciders and beers. How long the livestock side will survive the misguided drive to reduce the number of cattle to supposedly reduce CO2 and methane emissions is a moot point. If there was pressure to do this locally, I get the feeling there would be a fair bit of resistance. Not least because the cattle farmers round my way manage their land in such as way that it benefits the environment. In the late spring and early summer, the meadows used for grazing and silage are full of pollinator attracting wildflowers:)
I've dedicated my life to trying to produce as much of my own food as possible and write about it here: https://substack.com/@walkingwithgoats. The surge in interest and building of communities around food production is beautiful. We are what we eat. Food gives us meaning.
What is nutritious food? We buy food or maybe grow it and how do we know the level of nutrition we are receiving? There is always the one-size-fits-all assumption that doesn't work the same for everybody. An example is the beyond silly food pyramid which is really the stairway to death. You are dead before you get to the apex.
I wish I could conveniently grow my own meat, but living in an apartment makes that impossible. It's difficult to afford to buy an interest in a steer or pig, but that may be the way to go.
It's the imposition of one size fits all assumptions regarding what is a nutritious diet that I find worrying. Namely because there's always an agenda behind it that all too often, doesn't suit our actual needs. Which is why I get annoyed with some vegans who want to impose their beliefs on everyone, regardless of any considerations about what comprises a healthy, balanced diet.
I'm keen to raise the concept of community flocks too! Bristol Street Goat is doing great work, supplying dairy to 30 households. So many people have hedges to clip that would keep goats happy. As ever, if anyone's interested in the processes of goat keeping and cheesemaking, I'm excited to make friends!
I think we in the states have lost touch with our roots. Where we used to have local farmers growing food for local markets, we now have chain stores that don't buy local.
Your fresh fruit comes from outside the local area, which doesn't help if the supply chains run out.
I think we need to get back to local farmers providing crops to local mills, which turn them into food for local markets. The same things should be done with local ranches.
As it stands, all they have to do is prevent food from coming into a town and they've got the town.
I miss my farmer's markets. Fresh grain, fresh fruits, fresh meats.
I'm assuming it is the same in the UK. Does anyone grow local crops for local markets anymore?
There are still a few genuine farmers markets around where I am in the Avon region between Bath and Bristol. When I say genuine, I mean the ones that focus on selling local produce from vegetables (in season) through cheeses, meat pies from locally grazed cattle and onto ciders and beers. How long the livestock side will survive the misguided drive to reduce the number of cattle to supposedly reduce CO2 and methane emissions is a moot point. If there was pressure to do this locally, I get the feeling there would be a fair bit of resistance. Not least because the cattle farmers round my way manage their land in such as way that it benefits the environment. In the late spring and early summer, the meadows used for grazing and silage are full of pollinator attracting wildflowers:)
I've dedicated my life to trying to produce as much of my own food as possible and write about it here: https://substack.com/@walkingwithgoats. The surge in interest and building of communities around food production is beautiful. We are what we eat. Food gives us meaning.
What is nutritious food? We buy food or maybe grow it and how do we know the level of nutrition we are receiving? There is always the one-size-fits-all assumption that doesn't work the same for everybody. An example is the beyond silly food pyramid which is really the stairway to death. You are dead before you get to the apex.
I wish I could conveniently grow my own meat, but living in an apartment makes that impossible. It's difficult to afford to buy an interest in a steer or pig, but that may be the way to go.
It's the imposition of one size fits all assumptions regarding what is a nutritious diet that I find worrying. Namely because there's always an agenda behind it that all too often, doesn't suit our actual needs. Which is why I get annoyed with some vegans who want to impose their beliefs on everyone, regardless of any considerations about what comprises a healthy, balanced diet.
I'm keen to raise the concept of community flocks too! Bristol Street Goat is doing great work, supplying dairy to 30 households. So many people have hedges to clip that would keep goats happy. As ever, if anyone's interested in the processes of goat keeping and cheesemaking, I'm excited to make friends!
:)
Totally agree:) Particularly the growing and giving away food bit which we're doing with the community vegetable plot we're involved with...