Community Agriculture Development and Jobs Act: A Proposed Solution to

Community Agriculture Development and Jobs Act: A Proposed Solution to Food Deserts â€Å"There can be no sustainable world without sustainable cities.† (Deelstra, 2000) This applies to many aspects of a city, but what is more important than the topic of fresh food? Sustainable foods will be the foundation of the wellbeing of a community. We not only need these nutrients to support our bodies every day, but it also supports the wellbeing of a society. So why are we ignorant to how many cities are lacking fresh food? The high concentration of food deserts in the United States has gone unnoticed, especially in Detroit, Michigan. In the city of Detroit, researchers have developed concern and acknowledged the lack of fresh food available since 1997 (National Research Council). Since then, they have found that highly concentrated poverty stricken areas are receiving inadequate help from the government via food stamp programs and city food policy and distribution. Our agricultural system parallels the â€Å"mono-crops† we grow. â€Å"American farm policy a nd corporate mergers have created powerful agribusiness giants with dominant market shares—corporations that control virtually every of segment of the industrial food system.† (food and farm bill, 2012). Similar to the dominant monocrops that are limiting the diversity of species and crops grown in the U.S., our conventional way of farming has outcompeted all other food growing techniques even though it is unsustainable. Since we have realized that one systematic way of feeding the nation is not working, we must establish a variety of growing systems that accommodate the diverse and multifarious forms of societies and communities by geographic location. Detroit, Michigan is considered one of th... ...Health in Detroit." Marie Gallagher Research and Consulting Group,2007. Web. Accessed May 10, 2012. http://marigallagher.com/site_media/dynamic/project_files/1_DetroitFoodDesertReport_Full.pdf 10 May 2012. Gallagher, John. "Acres of barren blocks offer chance to reinvent Detroit." City Farmer News 15 Dec. 2008 Detroit Free PressWeb. 3 Jun. 2012. Academic Search Complete. http://www.cityfarmer.info/2008/12/23/acres-of-barren-blocks-offer-chance-to-reinvent-detroit/ Martin, Michel. "Detroit Truck Responds To City's Food Desert Crisis." National Public Radio ® 2 Nov. 2010 NewsWeb. 9 Apr. 2012. NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131000846 Wilgoren, Jodi. "Detroit Urban Renewal Without the Renewal." The New York Times (2002): 1-3. Web. 3 Jun. 2012. Google Scholar. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~gmarkus/Wilgoren_DetroitUrbanRenewal.pdf