Black agency and food access: leaving the food desert narrative behind

摘要

We are now 20 years into an extensive scholarly conversation - which has spilled over into the public discourse - around 'food deserts'. Since the term was coined in the 1990s hundreds of papers have been written on the subject. Public policy makers and state agencies influenced by this research have developed extensive tools and data sets, like the USDA's food desert locator tool. Much of this work is focused on mapping food retailers in relationship to local population demographics, often race and economic status, to identify communities that lack access to a sufficient food retail environment.