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PRESS RELEASE
5 MAY 2010
COMMUNITY-LED FOOD ENTERPRISES ARE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE SAYS NEW REPORT
Community food enterprises can play a role in helping to tackle the challenge of climate change through empowering local people and communities to take action. This is the main message from a new report launched this week [Wednesday 5th May] at a major national conference in Manchester.
The report ‘Local food and climate change – the role of community food enterprises ’ identified the potential for communities on a local level across England to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in every part of the food chain, including transport.
Peter Couchman, Director of Making Local Food Work and Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation commenting at the launch said, “Community food enterprises help people to take ownership of their food and where it comes from. This feeling of ownership has helped many to take on the challenge of climate change through a variety of community-led initiatives and enterprises. This report is designed to challenge us all to realise that there is no one simple solution to climate change, but there are steps that, by supporting and being engaged with community food enterprises, we can all take.”
Vicki Hird, co-author of the report, said, “Instead of asking whether local food is good or bad for the climate in general, policy makers should focus on supporting community food enterprises in addressing the distinctive challenges and opportunities they present in contributing to a low-carbon food system.”
The report was launched at the Making Local Food Work for People and Planet Conference. Making Local Food Work is a 5 year programme which aims to help communities across England to take control of their food and where it comes from by supporting a range of community food enterprises. These include farmers’ markets, community-owned shops, community supported agriculture, food co-ops, Country Markets and much more. Making Local Food Work is funded by the Big Lottery Fund through its Changing Spaces programme and has supported over 500 community food enterprises since being launched in 2007.
Download ‘Local food and climate change – The role of community food enterprises’
For media enquiries contact Ema Murphy or Mike Perry at the Plunkett Foundation on 01993 810730 or ema.murphy@plunkett.co.uk or mike.perry@plunkett.co.uk
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Editor’ Notes
Making Local Food Work (www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk) is a five-year £10m programme funded through the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund. It helps people to take ownership of their food and where it comes from by supporting a range of community food enterprises across England. Community food enterprises are businesses run by communities for their benefit, which are involved in at least one part of growing, harvesting, processing, distributing, selling or serving local food. Examples include farmers’ marketing, community-owned shops, community supported agriculture, country markets, food co-operatives and many others. Making Local Food work pools the expertise of seven partner organisations including Co-operativesUK, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Country Markets Ltd, FARMA, the Plunkett Foundation, Soil Association, and Sustain to help communities gain access to good, fresh, local produce, with clear origins.
The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme was launched in November 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments. The programme is funding a range of activities from local food schemes and farmers markets, to education projects teaching people about the environment.
The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888 Out of hours: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030 Textphone: 08456 021 659
Full details of the work of the Big Lottery Fund, its programmes and awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
NEWS RELEASE
Thursday, 02 April 2009
Changing the food system from the bottom up
Social enterprises rooted in communities can change food systems from the bottom up – this was the message from delegates at Communities Taking Control, the first in a series of conferences held by the Making Local Food Work programme.
The sell-out conference, which took place on Monday in Birmingham, brought together a wide range of individuals and organisations from those involved in running local food community enterprises to policy makers, academics and support organisations to explore how enterprising communities can reconnect land and people through food.
Making Local Food Work is a Big Lottery-funded programme supporting communities to respond to their own food needs using community-led approaches.
The event highlighted a range of examples of communities who are doing just that – Headingly Pig and Fowl Co-op in Leeds was one case study featured which explained how members of the community addressed their need for fresh, healthy local food with clear traceable origins by forming a co-operative and directly developing a relationship with local producers.
Communities Taking Control also featured a number of high profile speakers, including a number from organisations directly involved in the Making Local Food Work Programme. Professor Elizabeth Dowler of Warwick University explored the issue of reconnection and highlighted the needs for “renewed social and ethical relationships between consumers and producers.” Professor Dowler stated that consumers are looking for more authentic and closer relationships with their food and those who produce their food; “people value authenticity.”
Delegates debated how the food supply chain can be changed or influenced from the bottom up. The answer, the conference highlighted, is not solely focused on policy change; we must find levers of self-interest that encourage individuals and communities to actively engage with producers and suppliers of their food. Localised food system can work and do work, however, more dialogue is needed between consumers and producers in order for producers to think about farming differently and for consumers to consume differently.
Due to the success of the conference and high level of interest in the day, another event will be held on 30th September 2009. If you would like and further information on Communities Taking Control or the Making Local Food Work Programme, please see our website www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk or contact us at info@makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk.
Read a report on the conference here.
