How Democrats Are Working to Reduce Food Deserts
A food desert is a place where fresh groceries are hard to reach, and plenty of them sit in farm country. Here is how Democrats say they want to tackle the problem, where critics disagree, and how farmers fit in.
What does food desert actually mean?
The term is used for areas where a household has limited access to a full-service grocery store, usually because of distance, cost or a lack of transportation. Official definitions and maps come from federal researchers, and the USDA Economic Research Service publishes the work on food access that most others rely on. Definitions differ from one study to the next, so any number you read is only as good as the definition behind it.
It may sound odd that farm country has food deserts, but the pattern is real: a farm family can live near fields and still drive a long way to a store with fresh produce. This commentary site takes a progressive view, so we explain the Democratic case and then give the objections their own section.
What is the Democratic case?
Supporters argue that access is partly an infrastructure problem and partly a market problem. In their view, small grocers close when margins are thin and consolidation squeezes them, and that leaves rural and urban neighborhoods without a store. They favor federal and state support to help independent grocers open or stay open, expand farmers markets, and connect local producers with schools and institutions.
Supporters also point to nutrition assistance, such as SNAP, as a way to keep stores viable because it brings steady customers. Program details and eligibility are set at the federal and state level, so check USDA's official pages for current rules.
- Start-up and upgrade support for independent grocers
- Farmers market and local food purchasing programs
- Nutrition assistance that supports store traffic
- Transportation and delivery options for remote households
Where do farmers and ranchers fit in?
If more food is sold near where it is grown, supporters say, farmers capture more of the dollar and communities get fresher choices. Direct sales, farm stands and local food hubs are the usual examples. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service runs marketing programs and publishes information for local and regional food sellers.
For small producers weighing whether direct sales make sense, the planning pages at this small farm guide and the sales basics at this farm money resource cover the practical sides: pricing, labor, food safety and record keeping. FSIS and the state ag department set rules for meat and poultry sales, so read them before you sell.
What is happening in Colorado?
Colorado has dense Front Range markets and some of the longest grocery drives in the country, out on the Eastern Plains and across the Western Slope. Pueblo sits between those worlds, with farms nearby and neighborhoods where store choices are limited. State programs and local pilot projects change over time, so the Colorado Department of Agriculture is the right place to ask what is available for producers who sell locally.
Local extension offices such as CSU Extension often know which markets and food hubs are taking new growers, and can explain cottage food and farmers market rules in plain English.
What do critics say, and what is disputed?
Critics argue that the idea of a food desert can be too narrow, because people shop around, drive to larger stores and use delivery, and that simply adding a store does not always change what people eat. Others say subsidies for grocers distort competition, that regulatory and labor costs are the real problem, or that private business and charity should lead rather than government. Some also argue that nutrition programs belong in a narrower box.
What is disputed is how much store access changes diet and health, and how well specific grants work. Research findings are mixed, which is why you should read the original studies, not a campaign flyer. The GAO publishes program reviews that can help sort claims from evidence.
How can you judge a food access proposal?
Ask who will run the store or market, how long funding lasts, whether local farmers can supply it and what happens when the grant ends. Check the cost against independent estimates, and look for plans that can survive without constant new money. A farmer should ask whether a proposal creates buyers for local product or just adds paperwork, and whether the rules are written for a five-acre market garden or only for large operations. Seasonal timing matters too, because a program that opens after planting is of little use to a grower who needed the cash in spring.
If you want a lighter angle, farm.FM covers the food side of farm life, with farm food stories and farm news and satire, including a farm.FM story about rural grocery stores. And USDA NASS data can tell you what your county actually grows.
Sources and further reading
- USDA Economic Research Service: farm economy data and analysis
- USDA: U.S. Department of Agriculture
- USDA AMS: marketing and market news
- USDA FSIS: meat, poultry and egg product safety
- Colorado Department of Agriculture: state agriculture agency
- GAO: government watchdog reports
Ask locally: Ask your county extension agent or the Colorado Department of Agriculture which local food programs and farmers markets are taking new producers.