A Community Solution to the Obesity Problem

Introduction
Health researches indicate that people living in low-income areas are at risk of developing obesity and related complications. The issue of food security in developed nations like the United States is not a question of people having enough to eat, but having health foods. Paradoxically, food insecurity goes hand in hand with obesity amongst the urban poor
. Numerous government programs are geared towards ensuring that people have enough food to eat. However, the recent recession has caused budget cuts that have affected the programs. Technologies exist that can help urban dwells to change their diet by producing the healthy food they need within the built environment. To reestablish the safety net, the community must join efforts to ensure that poor not only have enough to eat, but also eat health foods to reduce the risk of obesity.
A Community Solution to the Obesity Problem
There are many government programs concerned with ensuring that people have enough food to eat and eat healthy food in the country. A major player in the country includes the academy of nutrition and dietetics. Although the government may provide handouts and other subsidies that help poor living in poor communities to purchase health foods, the recession brings into question the sustainability of these programs. The government programs do not ensure the sovereignty of health foods. For people to ensure the sovereignty of health foods, they must take control of the production, supply, and distribution of health foods in their communities (Sizer, Leonard, & Eleanor 34). This will not only develop a solution to the problem, but also ensure that the community maintains a capacity feed its members in the future. The major challenge facing people in poor neighborhoods is not that the healthy foods are unavailable, they are simply too expensive for them (Matthews 276).
The solution to obesity in low-income areas is to ensure that healthy foods are available to the community at cheap prices. This will be made possible through the introduction of organic farms in the neighbor. Urban farming is a recent development in agriculture that is changing how urban dwells utilize their space. Organic farms are designed to utilize the small spaces in the urban built environment and on top of a building. Urban agriculture technologies make it possible to produce cheap vegetables within the low-income neighborhoods. Organic farms in urban areas are also good for the environment because they lead to the production of less carbon dioxide (Harrison 64). Vegetable production is at the target market and chemicals that contribute to global warming are not used. Urban agriculture is also an efficient use of space.
Conclusion
Organic farming promises a bright future, especially for future generations in urban centers. Obesity and associated diseases, such as diabetes plague urban youths and children because of the consumption of fast foods and the lack of open areas where the children can engage in sporting activities. Urban farming promises to change urban lifestyle by not only offering an activity that the children and young adults can engage in, but also an affordable alternative to the unhealthy foods available in local stores. Obesity is an individual and community problem that is best fixed by a community initiative, such as the production of healthy foods locally.

 Works cited
Harrison, Nick. "Organic Developments." Appropriate Technology 31.3 (2004): 64.
Matthews, Carolyn M. "Exploring the Obesity Epidemic." Baylor University Medical Center. Proceedings 25.3 (2012): 276.
Sizer, Frances S, Leonard A. Piché, and Eleanor N. Whitney. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. Toronto: Nelson Education, 2012. Print.