Eating Local with Limited Resources

All across the US, and even internationally, there are campaigns promoting local food. The arguments in favor of eating local are numerous. Eating local is healthy, it puts money back into the community, is better for the environment and does not waste our quickly dwindling fuel resources. 

Sometimes, however, the problem is not educating people about the benefits of local food, but making it accessible to them. Food deserts are a major issue in the US, and for some people, finding healthy food options is nearly impossible, let alone local ones. Farmers markets and specialty grocery stores are a resource that may be too expensive, but not only that, they may only be found in more affluent neighborhoods. 

One response to the lack of healthy local food options in food deserts has been the guerrilla gardening movement. In the TED talk below, guerrilla gardener Ron Finley talks about how he has reclaimed abandoned spaces in his South Central LA community and turned them into urban gardens which are able to provide healthy food at a low cost. 

Transcript and source here