District 1: THE PLACES WE GO

For residents in District 1—covering downtown and East LA—the main challenge is access. Access to quality jobs, retail stores, and perhaps most importantly—food. Portions of District 1 can be considered a food desert—a term used to describe the the absence of nutritious and accessible foods in urban areas.

In the future, integrated AI changes the reality of this district by reinventing the agricultural supply chain. Produce has a short shelf life—a problem which both affect small producers and food deserts. Through smart supply systems, surplus can be turned around quickly—connecting extra produce with needy communities, and connecting smaller farmers with  additional funding sources. With provenance tracking, farmers can able to validate that their produce is directed towards under-served areas and thus participate in incentive programs that reward them for their contributions to the ecosystem. In addition, AI-based monitoring supports the running of small urban farms that make it easier to expand the suppliers to the local agricultural ecosystem.