Urban agriculture can also be used to address food deserts in many areas. Food deserts are urban neighborhoods and rural that lack easy access to fresh, nutritious, and affordable food, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Residents don’t have access to supermarkets or grocery stores in close proximity – instead, they rely on convenience stores and fast food restaurants, which could lead to a poor diet, obesity, and other diet-related diseases.
Communities are identified as food deserts if they are both low-income communities and low-access communities. 23.5 million people in the US live in food deserts, and 13.5 million of those people are low-income, according to the USDA.
