Food Desert Essay

I was born and raised in Ethiopia, a country in the east of Africa. Currently, I live in the United States of America. Growing up in a developing country, I witnessed health, environmental, and social problems endured by communities, and specifically that people were unevenly affected based on their literacy level and livelihood. For instance, many citizens lost their lives due to limited access to and expensive costs of medical care. Subsequently, I have noticed similar issues in the United States. Social issues such as high cost of medical expense, limited access to healthy and affordable food and people being marginalization based on their livelihood. These issues are caused by systematic problems that affect minorities within the countries.

Two years later, I was accepted to Goucher College with a full scholarship. As a part of my Environmental Studies major, I had to choose a research topic to complete during my senior year. Because of my deep interest in environmental and public health issues, I decided to research food deserts in Baltimore. Food deserts are places that lack nutritious, affordable food options for their residents, and my research examined the intersectionality of race, literacy and wealth that produces food deserts. Baltimore is a city that is highly segregated based on race and income, and thus food deserts are a widespread public health concern in the city. To carry out this project, I conducted an extensive literature review, and employed archival research methods and surveys. I also explored feasible solutions for the food desert problem in Baltimore. My research findings demonstrated that the literacy level of an individual played a major role in whether a person was impacted by a food desert. There is a high probability of an individual having a higher income if they have at least a college degree, which in turn suggests they do not live in a food