The theory of food deserts is that poor people eat poor diets in part because fresh, healthy food is neither accessible nor affordable in areas where they tend to live. A food desert is defined as an area where populations live more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store in an urban area and more than 10 miles in a rural area (Ver Ploeg et al. 2012). Three fourths of these food deserts are urban.  Climate change has an impact on human health, food production and distribution channels, and market flows. Climate change will affect four dimensions of food security: food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and food systems stability. People who are already vulnerable are likely to be the first affected. This project will compare those identified food deserts in Virginia (areas around Virginia State University) with focus to where farmers markets and community gardens are being established.

Agriculture-based livelihood systems that are already vulnerable to food insecurity face immediate risk of increased crop failure and new patterns of pests and diseases.

Existing data was collected on convenient stores and community gardens in Petersburg City and Chesterfield County. Rare data was generated for Emporia, Lynchburg and Hopewell. The data is compiled through field work and mapping with ArcGIS where markets and gardens are being established, and create a spatial analysis of their location We have localities that reflect both rural and urban areas. The project provides educational support for students who will find solution to community problems by developing activities to: (a) define and examine  characteristics of food deserts, (b) identify causes and consequences of food deserts and determine if their community is a food desert, (c) research closest food desert to their school, and (d) design solutions to help residents who live in food deserts.