How Food Deserts Impact East Austin

Meli Arteaga-Rivera, Charlotte Jones, Zelda Rasco

Spring 2024
Introduction

We are students at Garza Independence High School who are putting our efforts into combating
food deserts in the East Austin community. If you live in East Austin, chances are you live in a
food desert, an urban area in which there is very little access to nutritious and fresh food. We
believe food deserts are one of the modern problems that go unnoticed because of how popular
non nutritious food has become. We find importance in solving this issue in our community
because limited access to nutritious food can cause a number of health problems that are often
ignored due to judgment and lack of understanding. We also find this important because we
recognize that the lack of effort being put into this issue inordinately impacts minorities within
our community.

The Problem

A food desert is an urban area in which it is difficult to access affordable or high quality food.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that around 19 million
Americans are currently living in food deserts. Food deserts stem from a variety of causes,
including transportation challenges, income inequality, and segregation. Such areas can cause
people to rely heavily on unreliable public transportation or travel unnecessary long distances
concluding in overuse of gas and time. Individuals subjected to these areas are far more likely
to have heart disease, diabetes, weight problems, and many other health issues due to the lack
of healthier food options. These issues can often be overlooked due to judgment or lack of
funding, resulting in difficult access to medical treatment. Food deserts also disproportionately
affect people of color. According to a study done by the International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health, black and hispanic people are far more likely to be living in
neighborhoods with more difficult access to grocery stores, and easier access to fast-food.
Many of the neighborhoods on the East side of I-35 are considered food deserts by the USDA.
These are the same neighborhoods that were historically segregated against black and hispanic
people, and to this day still house a large percentage of the minority population.

The Solution

Food deserts are a difficult problem to tackle, but a small solution that can be expanded are
gardens! It’s easy to forget that food is a renewable resource, and we have the power to grow it
ourselves. A single packet of seeds can yield copious amounts of fresh produce in the long run,
and save individuals hundreds of dollars. Obviously we can’t build a garden for every person
living in a food desert, but we can still make an impact in part of the East Austin community. Our
idea is to take the necessary steps to use a plot in a public Austin park (possibly Govalle) to
plant a community garden. We intend to collaborate with volunteers at Garza Independence
High School and Key Club, a student-led service organization, to begin building a few garden
beds that can serve as a home for fresh produce. Once the plants are transferred to the garden
beds, Key Club volunteers can continuously utilize field trips back to the park to upkeep the
community garden for surrounding residents in need. While Key Club and Garza students will
be tending to this garden when possible, it would be open to all who wish to plant or pick!

Conclusion

It’s clear that food deserts are a seriously underlooked problem in not just Austin, but many
parts of the world. It’s a complex problem, but it can be solved locally if we work together as a
community to help our community. Food deserts encompass a variety of causes and effects and
it's important to recognize all. While there are many possible solutions for ending food deserts,
we have to constrain our solution to the resources and support provided to us as high school
students. After putting together research and addressing accessible support, we have come to
the idea of a community garden. While community gardens not only grant access to fresh fruit
and vegetables to people in a food desert, they also provide an opportunity to surrounding
residents to learn the process of planting and educate others in need. While we plan to launch
the garden with Key Club and other volunteers within our school’s community, the upkeep of this
garden will also be shared with the community around it. Whether we create a sign up system or
simply post flyers and promotions on social media, the inclusion of Austin's community is what
matters the most in making this idea bloom and the garden thrive.