Local Resources For Learning and Action

Key Terms

+ Food Apartheid

We prefer using this term rather than food desert to describe areas with low access to fresh produce. The word 'desert' describes a place that is barren and lacking. In contrast, communities experiencing barriers to food access are still vibrant, creative, and capable of lifting themselves to new heights, given the proper resources. Furthermore, a desert is a natural ecological phenomenon and these areas of low access to food are not natural, but rather the result of racist policies and social inequalities. 6

+ Food Sovereignty

A term founded by Via Campesina at the World Food Summit in 1996.

"Food sovereignty is the right of people to healthy and culturally-appropriate food produced through ecologically-sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations."

--- Declaration of Nyéléni, the first global forum on food sovereignty, Mali, 2007

+ Equality vs. Equity

Equality means everyone gets the same thing. Equity, to quote Cynthia Sylvia Parker, means that everyone "gets what they need to improve the quality of their situation". To see an illustration of this concept by artist Angus Maguire, click here.

+ Food Insecurity

A lack of consistent access to enough food to live a healthy, active life. 1

Food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level. This is different than hunger, which refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort. 2

Food insecurity usually exists along with many other overlapping issues that affect low-income families, like lack of affordable housing, institutional racism, health problems, and medical bills, and low wages. These problems, combined, make up social determinants of health, defined as the “conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life outcomes and risks" 3 Therefore, to truly address food insecurity, the overlapping challenges posed by the social determinants of health must also be addressed. This is why we include racial justice, housing equity, and community building resources on this page.

+ Food Justice

A holistic and structural view of the food system that sees healthy food as a human right and addresses structural barriers to that right. 4

+ Food Desert

A low-income census tract (20% or more at poverty rate) where a substantial number or share of residents has low access (in urban areas, 1 mile away or in rural areas, 10 miles away) to a supermarket or large grocery store. 5

 

Racial Justice

Food and Nutrition Equity

Indigenous Rights