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Scotland – sustainable food
nation?
Nourish
Scotland’s Sustainable Food Network
What’s the problem?
• Health – our diet is part of why we die young
in Scotland
• Climate change: food accounts for 25-30% of
greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change
threatens global food security (ASDA)
• Inequality – household food insecurity, food
banks
• Ecosystem – we’re eating species, degrading
soil, clearing forests and using fossil water
We want to see a Scotland where…
• We eat more of what we produce and
produce more of what we eat
• You can find healthy, local, seasonal, organic
food anywhere in Scotland
• Being interested in good food isn’t seen as
posh
• Everyone can afford to feed themselves and
their family well
• There is a diversity of thriving small food
businesses
How do we get there?
•
•
•
•
Change what we eat
Change how we farm
Change local food economies
Change policy
change what we eat
We should eat more veg, a lot more: like Germany
• And less sugar
• And less and better meat, with less soya in it
• And less highly processed stuff, and watch out
for palm oil and unsustainable fish
• But we don’t have to cook everything ourselves
• National and local government can lead through
example and procurement
• More people, communities and cities can grow
some of their own food
• Making all this socially acceptable is tough;
preaching doesn’t work: ISM framework helps.
Change how we farm
• Zero carbon, natural capital enhancing, agroecological,
resource use efficient
• More small, mixed farms located in or connected to
urban areas
• Home grown protein, grass fed beef, dual purpose
dairies, agroforestry
• Respected profession, more women, CPD, support for
new entrants
• Subsidies for public good, not just ‘help to own’
change local food economies
• Mixed economy of food – co-operatives and social
enterprises in production, processing distribution,
retailing, catering (cf housing)
• Investment in short, resilient, low carbon supply
chains as much as exports
• Ensure local food ubiquitous in shops, schools,
hospitals, cafes, events
• Add value through local processing
• Horizontal integration of public procurement to
provide anchor
change policy
• At EU level: towards a common sustainable food
policy, with public subsidies for public good
• At member state level: integration of policies on
health, equality, climate change, biodiversity,
community empowerment, procurement,
education, social enterprise, planning, local
economy, R&D, use of subsidies etc to create
sustainable food nation
• At local authority/city level: engage communities
and local public bodies in strategic approach with
identified local leadership
Current work
• New farmer programme – training future farmers
• Sustainable food cities work in Edinburgh and
Glasgow
• Advocating for policy change; more sustainable food
procurement; a greener agricultural policy with a
greater rural development focus and a planning
policy that “does” food.
• Surveying the local food economy
Third sector challenges
• Community-scale action
- community food co-operatives, linked to
community retail and community catering
- Community growing, right to grow, urban
farms
- Community finance, food credit unions
alternatives to food banks, community shares
Care sector
• More people receiving care and support at
home or in residential settings than children
at school
• Lack of food/nutrition culture
• Cultural change/skills agenda
• ‘Good food’ commitment needed
Environment sector
• Need to join up climate change and
biodiversity issues with food system
• Largest source of ghg emissions and
biodiversity loss
• Opportunity for stronger food and
environment coalition to make best use of
RDP and press for change