Grab a fair amount of ancient knowledge, add trustworthy data and stir with a community that shares the vision for a future in harmony with nature: here is the recipe for change.
During the month of September 2021 we have witnessed the community of Frome to give steps forward into preparing the city for a radical shift towards a food system that works for life on earth and not against it.
The Frome Town Council, in partnership with Edventure, Frome Medical Practice, Green Healthy Future and supported by Be The Earth and the National Lottery Fund, have conducted 20 individual interviews conducted with producers, restauranteurs, market managers, grocers, butchers, marketers, and other key figures in Frome’s food network and its peripheries.
With those results, they have held a Workshop event hosted together with Edventure looking at the opportunities for future-proofing the town’s food network. 40 attended, almost all were currently involved in Frome’s local food system.
Presentation and workshop was largely based on Hugh’s research, and identified key areas for improvement. 11 ideas spawning from these themes – such as producing a recipe book, improving access to land, and offering marketing support – received designated leaders wanting to take them forward.
Some of the most pressing topics to come out of the report and event include improving residents’ awareness of food grown around them and establishing better cohesion between producers, restaurants, retailers and logistics.
Routes to Market
● A (supply) chain is only as strong as its weakest link
● The high street’s ‘battle’ with delivery
● Enabling local indies to serve more local food
● Supermarkets: Friend or foe?
Cohesion
● Generating and sharing ideas and resources
● The road to becoming a ‘Sustainable Food Place’
● As a unit or collective, addressing common problems such as
○ Labour and recruitment
○ Logistics
○ Food waste
Consumer Awareness
● Being a voice for the voiceless
● How to grow this, how to cook that
● Addressing ‘local’, ‘sustainable’, and other definitions no one can really agree
on
Food Equality
● Equipping ourselves with the knowledge and the space for self-sufficiency
● (Responsibly) foraging what’s already there
● Nature can feed us, but we must return the favour
Full findings and recommendations to be published in a report by mid-December. Stay tuned!