‘Carrots don’t come out of plastic bags’ – What can Leeds do to make sure everyone is fed?

Britain needs to radically change the way it produces and distributes food in the future – that’s according to some of the country’s top food production experts based at the University of Leeds.
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Academics from the university’s Global Food and Environment Institute will this week present to a panel of council decision-makers on how we can all change the way we think about food, and what can be done to ensure some of the poorest communities have access to nutrition.

We have taken a look at some of the work that is being done at the institute, to find out how the future of food production, and the way we consume it, could look.

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“As more people need food over the next few decades – we need to farm smarter and better,” said Prof Steven Banwart, a director at the institute. “One of the big challenges is how we grow enough food going forward.

Wheat grown at a farm in Scholes.Wheat grown at a farm in Scholes.
Wheat grown at a farm in Scholes.

“If we look at 2050, when the world’s population is likely to grow to 10 billion, the UN environment programme is saying if we use land the way we use it today, we will need 10-45 percent more land than we can realistically farm.

“If we convert all available land to agricultural land, that could increase greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to global warming.”

So what can be done about this? And how big a part does Leeds and the UK have to play?

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“Parts of the solution are about reducing food waste,” said Prof Banwart. “It isn’t just about farming changing – it’s also about how we manage our food supply chain, and then also not buying food that we then throw out.

“Supermarkets are starting to do a really good job in informing their shoppers about food waste, and consumers need to support businesses that are responsible in that way.”

Prof Banwart believes lessons can be learned from Leeds’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and suggests much of the work should continue to simultaneously ensure vulnerable people stay fed while seeing food does not go to waste.

He said: “During the pandemic, Leeds has done a phenomenal job of making sure vulnerable households are able to maintain access to good nutrition.

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“That model of civic sharing and the effort that went into keeping food banks stocked and making sure everyone in the city was fed – that idea of community visibility and people engaging with charities and businesses – it is really healthy.

“It would be great if we could find a way to retain that going forward. It was there before Covid, but Covid really pressed it.

“Citizens need to be aware that food supply can be really shaky, and we can be vulnerable if there are big disruptions, and those in vulnerable households are more at risk.”

Another issue surrounding farming is that of climate change – as food production is thought to be responsible for more than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.

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Prof Banwart’s colleague Prof Caroline Orfila, an expert in plant biochemistry and nutrition, believes much of the solution lies in local areas being supplied by nearby farms.

She said: “Food transportation is one of the big contributors to energy consumption – there is an opportunity for Leeds to use more local production for its communities.

“(Farmers markets) should not just be available to the wealthy, but should reach parts of the city where people don’t have cars.

“A lot of the farms we have studied have been within 30km of Leeds, and tend to supply supermarkets, but they would also like to provide food for nearby communities.

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“One thing we have suggested is neighbourhood markets – but they also need to be in deprived neighbourhoods.”

Covid-19 also had a huge effect on food supply, but Prof Orfila believes many supermarkets became more efficient at supplying food banks with fresh produce, such was the huge demand.

She said: “Since (the start of the pandemic), we have seen people losing jobs and using food banks for the first time. Food provision is fragmented and it’s difficult to calculate how many households have received this, but activity (in food banks) has increased about 10-fold – we have seen a dramatic change.”

So what can ordinary people do? Will growing our own fruit and veg help meet our needs for food in the future?

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Prof Banwart said: “Looking at what resources are available within the city, it would fall far short of what the city needs, but it can help in other ways.

“It gets us outside and puts us in touch with food production – it gets us all to understand that carrots don’t just come in a plastic bag.

“It helps us understand that if we have a freeze in May or a flood in August, and our plants die, it connects us to nature and that ability that farmers and their livelihoods depend on, and that food is fragile.”

The Global Food and Environment Institute will hold a presentation for members of Leeds City Council’s climate emergency advisory committee on Tuesday, September 22.