100 years ago, the world's population was largely rural, with only 5% living in urban areas. Worldwide this century there has been a huge influx towards urban areas. In the Asia-Pacific region, half the population now lives in urban areas, which account for only 2% of the land mass. These urban areas are expected to grow by another half billion people in the next 20 years, almost three times the growth rate of the total population. Three quarters of this growth will be in less-developed economies, with people moving from rural areas to urban. This will greatly increase the demand for food services in urban areas, far from the means of production and processing. This makes the development of transportation infrastructure, especially in these developing countries, an issue of great importance in the next couple decades. There is going to have to be an efficient, low cost system with good storage systems. Currently, the focus has been on supermarket chains with a few huge suppliers and mass transit systems to transport people to these markets. Despite this increase in urbanization leading to more concentrated food demand, agricultural production capacity in the Asia-Pacific region remains widely dispersed. Nearly every region produces at least some food, due to the variety climates in a single nation. This dispersion makes it difficult for every market to equitably access the market for their food if transportation systems are not properly designed. A proper transportation infrastructure facilitates competition, decreasing food costs. The argument can be made that maintaining, upgrading, and expanding transportation can have the
same effect as removing a general tax for farmers and will stimulate economic growth, not to mention improve overall health. In the US, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security has revived the quest to make the nation's food supply more secure. There is also the demand for depending less on imports in the US. This has caused the local food movement to grow to try to
reduce the risk of contamination and the amount of energy used to transport food. Food insecurity is a concern for millions of Americans, especially those with low incomes, the elderly, disabled, and other transit-dependent populations. These groups have difficulty accessing fresh, nutritious food, increasing the rate of diabetes, obesity, and other diet-related diseases. Food transportation policies can help make it easier for low-income families, the elderly, and others with mobility challenges. These can help to revitalize rural and urban neighborhoods and improve the health and well-being of millions of Americans. Below are some facts about the
current food situation in the US:
- There are typically three times as many supermarkets per capita in upper and middle-income neighborhoods as in low-income neighborhoods.
- Over 30 million US residents (10.5%) faced food insecurity in 2000. Many of these were forced to pay higher prices for lower quality and less fresh food.
- Food is traveling further and further every year to reach consumers
- Low-income households are 6 to 7 times more likely and other Americans to not own cars, but still must rely on cars for shopping, even when half who own a car can not rely on it.
- Obesity, which is caused by poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, has become the nation's second leading cause of preventable mortality, responsible for 300,000 deaths a year.
Residents of lower income and minority neighborhoods in most urban areas have limits to fresh, healthy food because of the lack of supermarkets and farmers' markets in low-income areas. This results in them being transportation dependent, which lowers there income status even further. When there are supermarkets, they tend to be smaller with a poorer selection of lower quality produce. One study in Detroit found that only 18% of stores selling food in low-income areas sold a minimal \"healthy food basket\" of items necessary for balanced meals. And what is available in these lower income areas tend to cost more, perhaps because of the additional transportation. Whereas higher income areas can find supermarkets, farmers' markets, and sit-down restaurants, lower-income areas tend to have corner markets with highly processed foods and fast food restaurants that serve foods high in fat. When the poor attempt to travel for better food, they find options that are too expensive and/or built for commuting, not shopping. In rural areas, food access still becomes a problem. Even in the midst of nation's agricultural areas, 13.5 percent of rural people faced food insecurity in 2000, compared with the 10.5% nationwide average. Transportation is an even larger problem for these poor because of the large distance between households and market areas and the lack of mass transit, with about
half of rural counties lacking any public transport even in their most dense areas. Transportation infrastructure has led to the marginalization of small farmers by having refrigerated trucks and railcars, silos and storage facilities, and produce brokers and specialized shipping firms available to larger producers only. Subsidies have thus far only allowed for the production of infrastructure that benefits these large producers. There is a need for \"direct marketing\" support, so that farmers can affordably ship directly to consumers, whether institutional or individual. The subsidies that have currently been given for transportation infrastructure has supported more food miles and has primarily helped larger producers. It is estimated that 6-12% of household food expenditures account for transportation costs and that food transportation accounts for
approximately 2% of total US energy usage.