Food and Farming update June 2010

The Transition Network’s book called ‘Local Food: How To Make It Happen In Your Community’ starts with the following quote from Wendell Berry:

“We cannot be free if our food and its sources

are controlled by someone else. The condition

of the passive consumer of food is not a

democratic condition. One reason to eat

responsibly is to live free.”

This sums up the importance of taking back  control of our food. Local food is less processed,fresher and hence more nutritious and has considerably less food miles.

So how do we get more of it?

Grow our own in window sills, backgardens, allotments and community areas. (Look out for the veg beingplanted in the council planters on Fore Street this June).

Buy from local growers.

Connect with local farmers and try to encourage more local veg and fruit production – consider schemes like Community Supported Agriculture.

http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk 

Set up a community orchard and garden– where could we do this in Saltash – any ideas?

http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/home

where could we do this in Saltash –any ideas?

http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/home

Would any local land owners consider a land share scheme?

http://www.landshare.net

Do you have a garden that you are notable to use?

Would you consider letting other people grow veg in your garden inexchange for some produce? We can help connect you with people and advise you about drawing up an agreement.

How can we help farmers to keep going? We need more farmers not less and at the moment DEFRA policies are geared towards large farms even though a huge amount of research shows that mixed small farms than large monoculture farms. What can we do to support our farmers in this transitional period. Two useful income streams could be therapeutic agriculture

http://www.ncfi.org.uk

www2.btcv.org.uk/display/greengym

http://campaignforrealfarming.blogspot.com

The Campaign for Real Farming has flagship farms leading the way in sustainable farming. Keep in touch with the latest news via

http://campaignforrealfarming.blogspot.com/

GM – friend or foe? My reading and my heart tell me foe – these crops end up using more herbicides, more water and threaten biodiversity. The cross pollenation we were told would never

happen is happening – in some parts of the world certain crops cannot be foundwithout GM contamination, even in areas where no GM crops are grown.

http://www.percyschmeiser.com/

If you would like to make comments or be involved in local food projects (helping with ideas, funding applications or with the actual growing) then please do get in touch.

Louise Austin 0781 632 8526 or

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SEA or to give us our full name SALTASH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION is a group of people living within the PL12 postcode area. We are a campaigning group who meet up on regular occassions for talks, filmshows and social events.

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We look forward to hearing from you!

 photo by Maureen Kemp

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