I'm reluctant to start a new thread. But since we don't have anything related to it, and this appears to be and apparently urban problem, here it is...

 

The Great Grocery Squeeze
How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/food-deserts-robinson-patman/680765/

 

On 3/9/2025 at 7:23 AM, KJP said:

I'm reluctant to start a new thread. But since we don't have anything related to it, and this appears to be and apparently urban problem, here it is...

 

The Great Grocery Squeeze
How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/food-deserts-robinson-patman/680765/

 

 

Good article.

 

Crime is also a big contributor in the city and inner ring.   Even 25 years ago I remember Forbes et al excoriating the smaller inner city grocers for high prices and poor quality on WTAM.   I was on the turnpike yet almost called in.   With all his clout he could have put a group together and set up competition.   But it was easier and politically effective to finger point.

 

Those smaller independent grocers had serious theft and vandalism problems.  If they could get insurance at all, it was very expensive.   They needed to set up expensive security systems.   Most suppliers would not deliver.   Those that would charged a premium, which was justifiable because they couldn't use one man trucks like they usually did.   They didn't have clout if they got substandard goods.   Fresh produce?   Ha.   It would spoil anyway.

 

A lot of people don't seem to realize that the biggest victims of urban street crime are the neighborhood residents, both directly and indirectly.

Food deserts are a serious issue, especially in urban areas where access to fresh, affordable food is limited. The article sheds light on how policy changes contributed to this problem. It’s frustrating how systemic issues still affect communities today. What are your thoughts on possible solutions?

1 hour ago, DediRock said:

Food deserts are a serious issue, especially in urban areas where access to fresh, affordable food is limited. The article sheds light on how policy changes contributed to this problem. It’s frustrating how systemic issues still affect communities today. What are your thoughts on possible solutions?

In general the history of food production has been increasing yield and productivity.

 

Greenhouses in particular have seen a lot of growth and technological advancements in recent years. They can grow more food in less space. Less space means they can be located closer to urban areas, or at least less dispersed even if they are in a remote location (the greenhouses at Almeria produce a large amount of EUs fruit and veg for example). Farming near urban areas really only makes sense if it is high yield farming, greenhouses are a good way to get enough return to justify higher taxes. 

 

Another solution that has been perhaps overhyped in recent years is indoor/vertical farming generally paired with hydroponics. While it hasn't delivered as quickly as promised, it still has tremendous potential for more urban environments. Stacking growth and controlling the atmosphere/light, environment etc has a lot of potential to justify high urban rents. Companies could justify higher prices with premium freshness, i.e. organic, picked today. I could imagine a grocery store where the upper levels are for vertical farming. Moving farming indoors is really the secret sauce with the capability of making urban farming feasible, but it's still a hard economic and technological problem that hasn't quite been solved yet. Still lots of progress is being made driven by arid middle eastern countries and the marijuana industry. 

 

Many (though not all) food desserts are in areas where rents and land values are relatively depressed. They are also often blighted with plenty of available land for purchase. These areas could make great targets for experiments in urban farming.