Food Insecurity in America: An Analysis of Our Distribution Problem and the Potential of Urban Agriculture

Food insecurity is defined as inadequate access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to maintain a healthy life. In 2013, 49.1 million Americans were food insecure. In a country where there is an overabundance of food being produced, it is abnormal to think of food insecurity as a serious issue. Although we have the means to produce enough food to feed our population, one in seven households in America suffer from food insecurity every day. Although advances in modern agriculture have proven to increase food production, food insecurity continues to grow every year. To address this issue, this paper analyzes the implications of modern agriculture and its ability to solve food insecurity. Furthermore, an analysis of the capabilities of urban agriculture and the potential benefits to solving food insecurity is conducted. By comparing these two agricultural methods, a clear understanding of the proficiencies of urban agriculture for solving food insecurity is outlined. Traditional production and distribution methods are not enough to help solve this issue. Barriers of conventional agriculture need to be broken, and the potentials of urban agriculture need to be introduced. Implementing various instruments for change, such as food policy councils, zoning ordinances, and community gardens, is how urban agriculture will make its way into America's cities and start to solve the food insecurity issue.