The Pandemic Effect on Food Deserts

[Kal Di]

Food deserts are bad enough, but the pandemic effect on food deserts is one reason why many have died from the pandemic virus.  

[uncapentin]

Food deserts are bad enough, but the pandemic effect on food deserts is one reason why many have died from the pandemic virus.  

Okay, I'll bite. Interesting topic, but I think the field of vision is too narrow. I live in a rural area. If I were to walk to try to find food, the first place I'd hit would be a Dollar General. Until a few weeks ago, there was nothing fresh there, BUT there were choices that weren't terrible. The next place would be roughly 7 miles away. That would be a trek if I had to walk. It might be tough to buy fresh food every few days without a ride. BUT, do I not have some stake in this game ? Should I wait for the government to bring a grocery store closer to me or a farmer to set up closer to me? Is it someone else's responsibility to make sure that my neighbors and I have easy access to fresh produce ? 
   I think it comes down to a disconnect , a lack of knowledge about real food/good for you food. Americans ( not all by far ) have become uneducated about real food, they have no idea what to do with it and too many are lazy with food, wanting what is the fastest thing to eat. If people with small "marts" would demand produce, the store owners would get it in their stores. There are small old timey stores down many country roads that sell gas, fertilizer, milk and local produce. Some stores in cities do the same thing but it's because of demand. They operate where people will buy the goods. If all anyone wants is a quick processed meal, that's what the stores will carry. 
  Mexico is different, they thrive on having real food and have since I can remember. Rich and poor, they know how to cook ( a large majority I'd say) fresh food and many of the most rural grow much of what they eat even still. Many regions still grow heirloom corn which is far superior to the garbage grown here. 
  Germany is another country where so many people thrive on fresh food. I've seen slender pots along the streets ( to leave room for cars) that were growing veggies or herbs, pots hanging from balconies and window ledge plantings. They walk or bike a few miles to an allotment where they can grow more. Some share allotment space and what's grown in it. 
  I love the movements going on in some cities where someone or a group goes in to an area, rents a lot and then creates a community garden. That educates people about real food. The work involved is good for mind and body, but the knowledge of real food is most important. If someone grew up in the inner city and never snapped beans, shelled peas, silked a corn cob or sliced a ripe tomato while chatting on a summer day, they would have no knowledge of real food.
    Why in America do we do so much landscaping without using fruit and nut treas, herbs, edible berry bushes ? They should be planted abundantly, along roads, wood lines and streets. In low income housing areas, there should be raised beds so that residents can grow food if they want to. They can buy seeds with food stamps already so that wouldn't be an expense. Children should be learning from toddler hood about food. Planting, harvesting, eating, putting some away for the coming weeks.....but we'd have to have a major overhaul in America for these things to happen. What do we see if we go to low income areas ( or "the projects" as some would say )? Wide open spaces of practically dead grass and lots of black top parking. Usually no trees nor plantings, no flowers of any kind. How about senior living areas ? Newer places might have some landscaping, a little, but unless it's upper scale, there's nothing extraordinary about them. No plant beds unless someone came in and put some there. ( My mom did this at a senior center for the residents ) It's sad. Even more sad is that many of the people that live in these areas don't care. They're so disconnected they don't know they should care.
  I've researched this topic quite a bit. I've watched many documentaries about changing true desert regions into food producing oasis's. They're all fascinating and offer so much hope. All changes took place because someone wanted to do something, they knew they should care and they did. Change will happen in food deserts when the people demand better food. When they figure out how to take matters into their own hands and responsibility for what they eat, then you'll see change. 
   There's really so many facets to this topic....

[rachel83az]

Why in America do we do so much landscaping without using fruit and nut treas, herbs, edible berry bushes ?

It is outright illegal, in many places in the US, to landscape your front yard (and sometimes your back yard) with anything except a narrowly defined list of plants. The legal plants are ornamental, not edible. There is an entire movement around having secret illegal gardens by planting things that LOOK ornamental but that can be eaten.

[uncapentin]

   Why in America do we do so much landscaping without using fruit and nut treas, herbs, edible berry bushes ?

It is outright illegal, in many places in the US, to landscape your front yard (and sometimes your back yard) with anything except a narrowly defined list of plants. The legal plants are ornamental, not edible. There is an entire movement around having secret illegal gardens by planting things that LOOK ornamental but that can be eaten.

  Isn't that insane ? I've read about some of these movements. People are planting herbs for their 'flowers.' I would venture to say that most can garden in their back yard. Even some of the most strict HOA's in my area, don't bother anyone over their backyard gardens. Where there's a will there's a way. I was thinking more along the lines of roadways. A row of blueberry bushes can be just as nice as hedges. Nut trees can be just a nice as any other tree. It's a shame really. Parks could be dripping with berries and nuts, how nice would that be ?

[ss20ts]

   Why in America do we do so much landscaping without using fruit and nut treas, herbs, edible berry bushes ?

It is outright illegal, in many places in the US, to landscape your front yard (and sometimes your back yard) with anything except a narrowly defined list of plants. The legal plants are ornamental, not edible. There is an entire movement around having secret illegal gardens by planting things that LOOK ornamental but that can be eaten.

When we lived where there was an HOA we were told what specific type of grass was allowed in our front yard. If your yard had a wooden 6' fence you had some leeway in your backyard as long as it couldn't be seen. It was really ridiculous. We don't have an HOA where we live now and are looking into slowing replacing our grass with clover to reduce the need to mow and help out the bees, butterflies, and critters. Not to mention the water we'd save.

[rachel83az]

If you want to grow "illegal" food, two plants I've seen recommended are red/rainbow amaranth and sweet potatoes. The amaranth looks like a colorful stand of ornamental flowers, but it's a grain that can be eaten by people. For the sweet potatoes, you can eat every part of a sweet potato plant. This is unlike the "regular" or "Irish" potato, where you can ONLY eat the tubers and only if the tubers are ripe.

[uncapentin]

If you want to grow "illegal" food, two plants I've seen recommended are red/rainbow amaranth and sweet potatoes. The amaranth looks like a colorful stand of ornamental flowers, but it's a grain that can be eaten by people. For the sweet potatoes, you can eat every part of a sweet potato plant. This is unlike the "regular" or "Irish" potato, where you can ONLY eat the tubers and only if the tubers are ripe.

  Both are great ideas and I've read sweet potato leaves are delicious! Most herbs would be great to grow as ornamentals and butterflies love them.