Defining a Vision for 2030
We have a problem with our food. We are moving less and eating more. As a result 63% of adults in the UK are overweight or obese, while 30% of food produced in Europe is wasted. A diet focused on meat and dairy creates a massive emissions problem, and because much of our food is imported, further emissions are created during transportation. Industrial agriculture, through reliance on chemicals and general land degradation, is one of the primary causes of environmental breakdown world-wide. Processed food is typically low in nutrients. By addressing our dietary issues (both in terms of volume and balance), reducing waste, and growing more of our food locally we can dramatically reduce the carbon impact of our food supply.
Of course, issues of choice and cost need to be addressed. However, we need to challenge the perceived advantages of supermarket-dominated food supply chains. We have never been more disconnected from the source of our food, food education and awareness remain relatively low, the ease with which some foodstuffs can be produced and sold relatively cheaply masks the global injustice of international food production. Despite this focus on cheap produce, many in the UK still suffer food poverty, a situation exacerbated by the pandemic, with many families facing the winter deciding whether to put food on the table or heat their homes.
By 2030…
Across Dorset no one lives without access to sufficient, affordable, good-quality food. Our diets are more balanced and food waste is virtually non-existent.
Through awareness raising and education there is no longer a disconnect between town and country; our food chains are transparent, and much more of our food is produced locally. Within urban areas, common land is extensively used for community gardens, carbon management or biodiversity improvement. Market gardens are flourishing. Abandoned land has been brought into one or more of the above programmes. The farming community has been supported to make the necessary changes to practices and land use. The decline in species and ecosystems has been halted. More people grow their own food, many through community garden schemes, supported by the provision of common land for vegetable plots. Every neighbourhood has a co-operative scheme where growers share ideas, experiences, seeds and produce. Farmers markets are commonplace and open to community garden producers.
Consumption of beef and lamb has been reduced by 92%, pig and chicken products by 58% and dairy consumption by 59%. Locally, with appropriate support, farmers have been able to transition, growing more vegetables or to repurpose land for nature-based solutions.
We have a problem with our food. We are moving less and eating more. As a result 63% of adults in the UK are overweight or obese, while 30% of food produced in Europe is wasted. A diet focused on meat and dairy creates a massive emissions problem, and because much of our food is imported, further emissions are created during transportation. Industrial agriculture, through reliance on chemicals and general land degradation, is one of the primary causes of environmental breakdown world-wide. Processed food is typically low in nutrients. By addressing our dietary issues (both in terms of volume and balance), reducing waste, and growing more of our food locally we can dramatically reduce the carbon impact of our food supply.
Of course, issues of choice and cost need to be addressed. However, we need to challenge the perceived advantages of supermarket-dominated food supply chains. We have never been more disconnected from the source of our food, food education and awareness remain relatively low, the ease with which some foodstuffs can be produced and sold relatively cheaply masks the global injustice of international food production. Despite this focus on cheap produce, many in the UK still suffer food poverty, a situation exacerbated by the pandemic, with many families facing the winter deciding whether to put food on the table or heat their homes.
By 2030…
Across Dorset no one lives without access to sufficient, affordable, good-quality food. Our diets are more balanced and food waste is virtually non-existent.
Through awareness raising and education there is no longer a disconnect between town and country; our food chains are transparent, and much more of our food is produced locally. Within urban areas, common land is extensively used for community gardens, carbon management or biodiversity improvement. Market gardens are flourishing. Abandoned land has been brought into one or more of the above programmes. The farming community has been supported to make the necessary changes to practices and land use. The decline in species and ecosystems has been halted. More people grow their own food, many through community garden schemes, supported by the provision of common land for vegetable plots. Every neighbourhood has a co-operative scheme where growers share ideas, experiences, seeds and produce. Farmers markets are commonplace and open to community garden producers.
Consumption of beef and lamb has been reduced by 92%, pig and chicken products by 58% and dairy consumption by 59%. Locally, with appropriate support, farmers have been able to transition, growing more vegetables or to repurpose land for nature-based solutions.