Sustainable Food & Farming

1. Sustainable Food & Farming AIMS Develop confidence / competence to use term “sustainable” Spell out main areas of concern Direct possible ways forward Explore learning worlds of ‘thinking’ & ‘doing’

2. Charlie C PhD Agricultural EcologyFellow, Food Policy Unit, City University Representative (NW) on Farmworkers Union (Unite) Member of Food Ethics Council Host www.sustainablefood.comNo 1 when you google “sustainable food” !

3. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

4. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

5. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

6. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

7. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

8. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

9. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

10. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

11. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

12. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

13. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) • Partnership not individual SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

14. What is ‘Sustainable’ Food/Farming? • Barbara Ward – Idea of environment + development • Don’t ‘jeopardise future generations’ (Brundtland) • ‘Healthier for people and planet’ • Not ‘business as usual’ • Balance between ‘Environmental, Social, & Economic (= Battle between ‘Land’, ‘Labour’ & Capital) SDC Definition of sustainable food/farm

15. Why concern about food/farm sustainability? Land UK needs 6 X its own land surface to produce its food. This “ecological footprint” is the amount of land needed to grow and to produce energy and absorb pollutants = Total environmental impacts of what goes In/On/Out Lots of land used abroad, while millions hectares left for rough grazing (big lawn in UK garden) here Some UK land “over” used, much “under” used. Land prices shooting up (30% last year), as demand for food competes with fuel, feed and fibre.

16. Why concern about food/farm sustainability? Global Warming Potential (GWP) About 1/5 th of all Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) UK - Food > Farm Elsewhere Food < Farm Due to Direct Energy (CO2) - < 1% Total UK GHGs Meat - Methane (CH4) – 31% Tot Ag GHGs Fertiliser - Nitrous Oxide (NOx) – 38% total ag GHG) 25X > Pesticides GWP 2X All Air Flights!!! Forest to Farm (CO2) = Meat & Fertiliser together

17. Why concern about food/farm sustainability? Water About 20 “Niles” (= Water in the Nile River) are exported from Africa each year There is enough water exported in fresh vegetables for 10 mill Kenyans each day. (Kibaki 3rd largest landowner) "A typical meat-eating, milk guzzling, westerner consumes as much as a hundred times their own weight in water every day” - as ‘Virtual’ Water

18. Why concern about food/farm sustainability? Labour Almost always paid less than industrial average. UK farmworkers only group controlled by law. UK farming most dangerous workplace – 2 X higher rate of fatalities compared to next worst – construction Curry Report – basis of DEFRA sustainability, spells out fatalities. HSE developed H&S qualifications Elsewhere need for better wages shown by need for Fairtrade, ETI etc. When will UK have “Fairtrade carrots”?

19. Why concern about food/farm sustainability? Capital Concentration of companies in all sectors – whether chemicals, machinery, seeds or chocolate, sugar or retail Due to large dependence on imports (20% worse since 1995), forcing concentration Concentration leads to under investment in “unprofitable areas” – eg hills, and overproduction in other areas – excess chemicals Demand for cheaper labour and not paying environmental costs

20. Cheap Food Much can be put down to UK’s “Cheap Food Policy”. Ever since the Repeal of the Corn Laws UK wanted cheap imported food to feed/fuel our industry. Result is that UK agriculture degraded during much of last 150 yrs (depression from 1880-1945) Investment always tended to go abroad Can see this policy reflected now in headlines like: “Food prices Fuel inflation”

21. Cheap Food Throughout world we can produce too much food – which results in low prices. Nearly a billion people go hungry each year & rising – despite all the green revolution. People starve not because we cant produce enough food, but because they cannot afford to buy any. Double Burden is that about same number of people (billion) are now fat/obese.

22. Time for Change? The “Food Crunch” is coming. Food prices are rising because: Grain shortages, Industrialisation – esp. India & China Biofuels demand for land. EU target of 10% transport biofuels will take 50% landOil – now @ $100 barrel Food security and obesity are raising concerns at highest level – Brown’s set up Food Policy Strategy – 1st since WW2.

23. Time for Change? • Only recently that food/farming seen to be such a major factor in GWP, water use – and land use. • Recently 1 of 3 priority topics at European Environmental Conference. • Recommended need for wide range of tools and instruments needed. • Like these ‘doing’ words as they go way beyond individual responses. Recommendations..

25. Way Forward - General • We need political debate – akin to debate of the Repeal of the Corn Laws – 150 years ago. • Except we now say it should be geared to the overall future of all, not just UK industry. ie. for sustainability • That means putting Food/Farming at the front of economics, not industry’s hand maiden • Higher prices offer the opportunity to negotiate improvements • Perhaps Rural workers have a vital role in transforming these ideas into practice…..

26. Way Forward • National LevelInfluence subsidies, now not needed, where will this money go? More on CAP subsidies • CompanyDevelop skills throughout increasingly powerful chains(eg Nestle). Unions are major group in ‘Agenda 21’ (Chap 29). • Learning- Vocational eg Sustainability quals: Level 1L2 - Educational…

27. Education for Sustainable Food… DfES Sustainable Development Action Plan 2005/6 Target for May 2006 “Provide guidance to caterers & schools on procuring school meals”Responsibility of Schools Director General School FEAST Network