The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the fragility and vulnerability of our globalised food system and our reliance on potentially unreliable supply chains. This has led to a big increase in demand for local food and local shops but many producers and community food businesses have had to stop taking on new customers due to lack of resources, staff and supply chain difficulties. At present farmers are experiencing a surplus of produce due to the closure of restaurants and eateries but this won’t last. This has lead to farmers facing financial difficulties and disposing of product. Consumers are relying on supermarkets that bring produce from distant producers. Britain will be hitting economic difficulty along with other nations who are supplying food to these supermarkets. Our current supply chain may become redirected to support the people of the area where it is coming from. If this happens Britain will be going without and our farmers will have no resources to be able to provide for locals.
Since WW2; the nation’s attention has not been this focused on food. It is time to think local, value every scrap of food and remember old skills regarding how to preserve what we have. What I am suggesting is for every Community and Town Council in Pembrokeshire to start a Community Supported Agriculture scheme in their area. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) “is a partnership between farmers and consumers in which the responsibilities, risks and rewards of farming are shared. Farmers receive a more stable and secure income and closer connection with their community, and consumers benefit by eating fresh healthy local food, feeling more connected to the land where their food is grown and learning new skills.” This can be done by partnering with a local farm that is interested in becoming a CSA farm and working with each community. Once this is set up growing starts and food security and local resilience can be addressed. Food Security means “the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.”
As frightening as this crisis is, it also provides an extraordinary opportunity for change in the food and farming industry as well as a move towards local. This can bring together farmers and their local communities to produce local vegetables, as well as eggs etc which otherwise may not be available. Regardless of the Covid19 outbreak, I feel this is a good idea that supports both farmers and consumers making our supply chains reliable. There is a farm in Abereiddy that has been a successful CSA for some time and is a good case study for Community and Town Councils to draw on.
My requests:
- For Community and Town Councils to create a CSA in their area. Please bear in mind it is now planting season and things take a while to grow. So action needs to be timely. Do this remotely by e-mail to agree between council members for a working group to set up and approach a local farmer/assist them with relevant grant applications.
- To contact the farmers union and liaise with local farmers that can work at potentially delivering food boxes within a 15 mile radius of their farm and your community.
- For Community and Town Councils to raise this issue to the Pembrokeshire County Council requesting that they find funding to hire a Community Supported Agriculture Facilitating Officer who can coordinate all support and agreements between community councils and local farmers. Do this by approving and requesting your Clerks to write them a letter on behalf of your Community or Town Council.
Thank you for taking my request into consideration. Please feel free to reach out to me:
Llanavis (Gareth) Davies llanavisgd@gmail.com, 07947927086
