Developing an Eco-social Enterprise Session 2 Tuesday, 25 April, 2023 Tim Crabtree, Wessex Community Assets & Plymouth University Question: What is the main activity of your ecosocial enterprise? Food EnergyTransport Culture Housing Social care & health Education Communication Energy Reclaiming Finance Democratizing & Localizing Ownership 4 ENABLERS SATISFIERS Food Shelter Reclaiming the Commons 1998 20132003 2023 Local Food Links Schumacher College Wessex Community Assets Dorset Community Energy Plymouth University Diverse economies Systems thinking Question: What is a “system”? Can you give an example? OPERATION Question How do you cook a soup? • What inputs must you have? • What operations do you need to do? Social, economic and environmental impacts of the prevailing food system THE FOOD SYSTEM • Production • Processing • Distribution • Consumption SUPPLY OF FOOD DEMAND FOR FOOD ECONOMIC IMPACTS E.G: • Reduction in rural employment • Value added off farm • Subsidies • Externalities ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS E.G: • Soil erosion • Pollution • Loss of biodiversity • “Food miles” SOCIAL IMPACTS E.G: • Health concerns (BSE, pesticides, etc) • Low consumption of fresh fruit & veg • High consumption of fats & carbohydrate Influences on the demand for food THE FOOD SYSTEM • Production • Processing • Distribution • Consumption INCREASING DEMAND FOR FOOD THAT IS, E.G: • Healthier • Environmentally sustainable • Supportive of local economies AWARENESS & EDUCATION POLITICAL FACTORS ACCESS/ INCOME LEVELS Initial interventions •Food directories •Farmers’ markets •Food Weeks •Food Festivals Farmers’ Markets West Dorset Food Week & Bridport Food Festival Conclusions drawn from initial round of interventions Intention was to: • Increase communication between producers and consumers • Leading to consumer influence on producers And • Improved knowledge & understanding leading to changes in consumer buying behaviour Also: • Shorter supply chains leading to lower prices But..... • Little change seen in the production standards of producers • Little reduction in prices, so food not accessible • Local food was becoming a niche market for those with sufficient disposable income Grow it, Cook it, Eat it Project The need to address children’s diet and the related health impacts. • Surveys demonstrate that children are not eating adequate portions of fruit, vegetables and fibre, while diets contain excessive quantities of salt, sugar and fat. • The food which children eat at schools is of particular importance, and in the past was considered a cornerstone of a healthy diet. • There is a growing incidence of diet-related illness amongst children, including obesity and type-2 diabetes. • Interventions in a school context, offering free or subsidised food, can address issues of affordability for low income households School gardens Tree planting Bridport Centre for Local Food School Fruit Scheme Soup Lunch Pilot Soup Lunch Pilot Local Food Links – School meals stage 1 2.47 New Central Kitchen at Centre for Local Food Local Food Links: ethical sourcing • Meat – Genesis Farmers • Milk – Coombe Farm • Yogurt – Yeo Valley • Butter – Denhay Farms & Coombe Farm • Cheese – Denhay & Coombe Farm • Flour – Edward Gallia, Cerne Abbas • Eggs – Vurlands Farm • Vegetables in season – Bothen Hill Organic, Washingpool Farm, Somerset Organic Link • Fruit in season – Elwell Farm • Bread – Leakers, Punch & Judy Bakery • Food service – Essential Trading Local food systems A system is a set of things working together: “A system is an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organised in a way that achieves something……a system must consist of three kinds of things: elements, interconnections, and a function or purpose.” • Meadows, D. (2008) Thinking in Systems. A Primer London: Earthscan Food operations Food services Inputs: the building blocks of a system All food systems transform inputs into goods & services Land & Natural Resources Physical Capital Labour Local school children Operations Inputs Outputs: School meals Financial capital Data 57 Schools Hub Kitchen 1 Hub Kitchen 4 Hub Kitchen 2 Hub Kitchen 3 Provides hot meals to Local food companies and farms Land & property Labour Financial capital Physical capital Data systems Current and proposed initiatives to support the supply side THE FOOD SYSTEM • Production • Processing • Distribution • Consumption SUPPLY OF FOOD DEMAND FOR FOOD FINANCIAL RESOURCES • SW Local Food Economy Partnership • Wessex Re-investment Trust ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES • Community Garden • Community Farm/Starter Farms Project MANUFACTURED RESOURCES • Centre for Local Food: managed workspaces, depot for organic vegetables, equipment HUMAN RESOURCES • Training at Kingston Maurward College • Apprenticeship Programme ORGANISATIONAL/SOCIAL RESOURCES • Farmers’ Markets; Dorset Food Links; SWAFM • Joint processing ventures • Joint distribution venture SUMMARY OF CURRENT AND PROPOSED INITIATIVES IN DORSET TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL FOOD SECTOR THE FOOD SYSTEM • Production • Processing • Distribution • Consumption SUPPLY OF FOOD DEMAND FOR FOOD FINANCIAL CAPITAL • SW Local Food Economy Partnership • Wessex Re-investment Trust ECOLOGICAL CAPITAL • Community Allotment • Community FarmStarter Farms Project MANUFACTURED CAPITAL • Local Food Centres: managed workspaces, distribution depot for local foods, catering equipment, meat cutting HUMAN CAPITAL • Training at Kingston Maurward College • Apprenticeship Programme ORGANISATIONAL/SOCIAL CAPITAL • Farmers’ Markets; Dorset Food Links; SWAFM • Joint processing, e.g. West Dorset Organic Foods • Joint distribution, e.g. new scheme under LEADER+ EDUCATION • Food Festival July 1998 • Local Food Directory 1999, 2000 & 2001 • Food Week, October 2000 & 2001 • Community Gardens in local schools POLITICAL FACTORS • Work with Dorset Agriculture Working Grp • Establish Dorset Food Links • Establish SW Local Food Economy Ptnshp • Establish SW Assoc of Farmers’ Markets • Interreg / DETR funded evaluation ACCESS/AFFORDABILITY • EU funded research into organic/local food school meals • Community Food Initiatives, funded by NHS Increasing Supply Options: Developing The Capacity Of The Local Food Economy Increasing Demand For Local Food: Developing Awareness and Influencing Policy Inputs Operations Outputs Customers Outcomes OUTCOMES Land Labour Financial capital Physical capital Data Framework Outcomes Need/baseline Activities Outputs Outcomes / Impact Health & well-being - Increasing incidence of obesity in children & young people - Increasing incidence of diet-related ill-health, e.g. type-2 diabetes - Produce school meals - Roll-out of scheme to new schools - Establishment of new hub kitchens - Increase number of local suppliers - Recruitment & training of staff team - Encourage volunteering - Encourage parents to come in at lunchtime and eat with children - Children eating healthy meals - Better concentration in the afternoons - Reduced illness/absences - Improved health - Improved sense of well- being - Improvements in health reflected in reduction in costs of obesity & diet related ill-health Community development - Limited opportunities for parents to get involved and contribute - Limited opportunities to sit down as a family or with others - Reduced links between the generations - Reduced isolation through greater opportunities for socialising over food - Volunteering opportunities for parents/grandparents - Improved community cohesion - Greater crossgenerational links - A more positive food culture, with more people eating together Economic development - High cost of better quality food - Affordability is a major concern for families on low incomes - Limited capacity to produce meals for children in Dorset - Lost opportunities to create local jobs or provide a market for local producers - Improved affordability of quality food for children from low income families - Employment created - Training opportunities created - Reduction in “food poverty” - Import substitution: local economic activity created through greater opportunities for local suppliers. - Local multiplier improved - Increase in value added locally (GVA) Environmental sustainability - Environmental impact of food transportation - Limited sourcing from sustainable food producers - Consequent pollution - Growing market for sustainable food producers - Increase in sustainable food production - Reduction in carbon output has positive impact on climate change Framework Outcomes Need/baseline Activities Outputs Outcomes Health & well-being Community development Economic development Environmental sustainability Inputs Operations Outputs Customers The Business Canvas The Business Canvas - simplified Resources CustomersValue proposition Activities Inputs Operations Outputs Customers Customers Who are the customers that you will provide products and services to. Are there different types of customer? Outputs For your eco-social enterprise, what are the outputs (products or services) that you will deliver to customers Operations What will your eco-social enterprise do to produce the products/services? Inputs What inputs will you need? In other words, what inputs will be transformed during the operations processes? Inputs Labour What will your enterprise require? • Staff? • Volunteers? • Trainees/apprentices? • People disadvantaged in the labour market? • Board members? Land & Natural Resources • What natural resources will you require? • Land • Water • Sunlight • Etc Physical capital What is required? • Buildings • Equipment • ICT • etc Data What information do you need to collect? Do you need to access platforms or create your own? • Who will provide this? • Grants? • Loans? • Equity? • What rights do they get? Financial capital Dorset Community Energy • Funding was secured from the Big Lottery to set up a new co-operative, Dorset Community Energy • Initial target 6 community owned solar PV projects on schools and community buildings in Bridport, Dorchester and surrounding parishes Partners Milldown Primary School, Blandford 49kW 65 New generation could be added in a second phase. Dorset Community Energy are exploring building a ground-mounted PV array, creating additional capacity to supply households or businesses with low-cost solar energy during the daytime. Future Plans