FoodThe way our food is grown has a big impact on climate change.
Agriculture is a very large source of the major greenhouse gas emissions: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Chemical fertilisers are probably the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in conventional food production.
Producing monoculture crops like soy for feed for intensive livestock production requires large amounts of energy and is also responsible for the destruction of vast swathes of forest in South America to grow them, resulting in further huge amounts of carbon emissions.
In contrast, organic and low chemical input agriculture substantially reduces energy use, restores biodiversity, increases soil fertility, and increases the soil's capacity to act as a sink for carbon dioxide. UK soils are losing carbon on an enormous scale - much of the loss is due to intensive cultivation and the reduction of organic matter as nitrogen fertilisers replace manure and plant residues.
‘Food Miles'
So much of our food travels great distances by road and air, from original destination to packing plants, on to distribution depots and finally to the supermarkets.
Airfreight of food has expanded significantly in the UK while the distance that food is transported by road increased by 50 per cent between 1978 and1999, and now accounts for between a third and 40 per cent of all UK road freight. Buying locally produced food direct from producers or at independent shops that have no centralised distribution systems, vastly reduces these ‘food miles’ and supports the local economy.
A really practical way to reduce your personal contribution to food miles is to shop at Marlborugh Farmers' Market. This is held on the 2nd Saturday of every month (excl. July and Oct 2009) from 9.15 - 1pm in the Town Hall.
Meat, bread, preserves, fairtrade goods and a Fairtrade cafe with homemade cakes. A selection of seasonal recipes produced for the Farmers' Market are attached below. See you there!
In autumn 2008, MCP launched a Community Allotment to offer the opportunity for 'learner' veg growers to start off growing their own. | 