Hi everyone! My name is Emily Dinges and I currently live in State College where I am a full-time student. I grew up in Bellwood, PA which is about forty minutes from here, near Altoona. I am a senior studying Nutritional Sciences and hope to work within the food industry or for a supermarket chain as a Registered Dietitian after completing a dietetic internship. Within my major I have an emphasis in community nutrition and food security, so this is a class that I thought would be beneficial. I want to learn more about sustainability practices and possibly even take that information with me if I would someday have a career in the food industry. It is very important to me to support local farmers and sustainable food production practices. I do not agree with what many industrial giants have been doing within our food system.

Going from a topic I have some knowledge in, the prevalence of food insecurity throughout the world is an issue that geography plays a part of. This term describes people not having access to safe and nutritious food at all times. From a global scale, this issue affects people in third-world countries, as well as in urban cities/rural areas of the United States. The nature of the area in which one lives as well as economic factors both contribute to this issue. Think of those living in extreme rural areas, in which the closest grocery store may be hours away. If living in poverty, they may not even have a car to get those stores. From a geographic perspective, it would be up to those individuals to use the land for farming (that is, if it is suitable to do so). In the case of urban living, healthy food options may not be available. The use of urban gardens has been growing as people in these areas want to take control and have fresh produce. In an area like this, having access to many food options is something we often take for granted. It is important to think of these geographic issues when determining ways to eliminate food insecurity.