Global Food Issues How environmental, secure and fair is our global trade system in food? Problems and solutions n Food insecurity n Global food economy and climate change and peak oil n Reclaiming the food economy n Importance of provenance and relationship Actual magnitude of food gaps for various country (US$m.) Government attitude to food security n No concern because 42% of imports are non-indigenous products n Food security ‘is neither necessary nor is it desirable’ n Seasonality is unimportant ‘with out-of-season imports from the southern hemisphere enabling food retailers to stock a full range of produce all year round’. n ‘Comparative advantage dictates the pattern of trade in a liberal world trading environment, with countries concentrating on the production of goods that utilize its resources in the most efficient way’. Carbon cycle The environmental cost of trade ‘Sustainable Consumption Institute’ n Funded to the tune of £25m. by Tesco at Manchester University n ‘encouraging shoppers to buy more green products and also look at new technologies which could cut down on harmful emissions and landfill’ n ‘a focal point for the next generation of researchers, policymakers and advisers in the area of sustainable consumption through an extensive postgraduate training programme’ Percentage of oil used in different aspects of food production and distribution Colin Tudge on self-reliance n A system of farming that was truly designed to feed people and to go on doing so for the indefinite future, would be founded primarily on mixed farms and local production. In general, each country . . . would contrive to be self-reliant in food. Self-reliant does not mean self-sufficient. . . Self-reliance does mean, however, that each country would produce its own basic foods, and be able to get by in a crisis. Let’s think about . . . n Bananas n (thanks to Pamela Robinson of Cardiff School of Social Sciences) Banana wars—1999-2001 Growth in fair trade n Figures from the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International indicate that consumers worldwide spent £1.1bn on certified products in 2006—an increase of 42% on the previous year. n Particularly large increases were found for cocoa (93%), coffee (53%), tea (41%) and bananas (31%). Let’s think about . . . n Eggs Battery farm: concentration camp for chickens! Rescue a hen! n Battery Hen Welfare Trust n Battery hens are killed after one year n EU legislation will ban battery eggs from 2012 Local produce in supermarkets n Tesco has set a target of £400m. of local produce in 2008, rising to £1bn. by 2011 n Local roadshows to cut deals with local producers – more than just a show? n Councillors Gwynedd complained that some ‘local’ food travelled as far as 175 miles. n Does not fit with central distribution model Reclaiming the Food Economy n Stroud Community Agriculture n Farmers market n Fordhall Farm n Stroud Brewery Stroud farmers’ market The convivial economy n Relationship and provenance n North Aston organic dairy n Community composting ‘Organic’ supply chains n Greening the supply chain: life-cycle analysis n Localisation vs. centralised distribution e.g. milk n Fair trade—co-operative and organic? n Solidarity economy and local-to-local trade, globally ¨ La Jimena Ethical consumption Stroud Community Agriculture Apple day Celebration! Preservation n Close to zero food miles n Genuine ownership n Production not just consumption n Seasonality and concept of ‘share’ n Annual cycle and community in festivals Seasonality and the annual cycle Permaculture principles for growing on land n Working with nature saves energy n Make the least change for the greatest possible effect n The yield of a system is theoretically unlimited (or only limited by the imagination and information of the designer) n Everything gardens (or modifies its environment)