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Eat the System
LOQL
Farm to fork is something we've discussed already here on the podcast. If you are interested in local, even ultra local food systems then please do check out episode 20- where I discovered one of the most successful local food infrastructures. In the interview I asked Janie from OxfarmtoFork whether their system was scalable. She said, I think rightly, that it couldn't be scaled up, but it could be replicated. But that was here in the UK. In Germany there is a scalable local food platform, in fact it is already working at scale, serving supermakrets and consumers across the country. LOQL, spelled LOQL is an online platform that enjoys the kind of heavyweight support that we can only dream of in this country. In this interview I talk to , the Chief Operating Officer of LOQL, Clemens Tsalikis about how this platform works, but of equal importance, why it works
One of my carefully considered hobby horses is scalabilty. However inspiring an initiative is, unless we effect widespred implimentation, it is functionally meaningless. Another hobby horse of mine is food system complexity. However effective LOql is as a platform, it succeeds because there is a large co-operative of independent supermarkets in Germany, who can make their own prchasing decisions, and of equal import, they commitment is to the logevity of the comany and their local community, not short term profits. In turn their is a cultural, poilical and financial commitment to medium size enterprises in germany that means even a multi billion euro business can be created by small business operators.
How and if we can acheive the same or similar in this county remains to be seen. But if we do do it, it will have to be on our own terms
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24. St Philips Church
27:56||Ep. 24What does a community food organisations look like? Well actually chances are it doesn't look like a community food organisation. With the exception of actual food banks run by the Trussel trust everyone else started off doing something else: and they continue to at least try to fulfil their primary roles. Community centres, youth clubs, schools, housing projects, and of course churches, so many have taken on the burden of managing some sort of food provision. St Philips is an Anglican church in one of the outlying estates in Hull. With a history dating back over half a century, it is currently better know in the local community for attending to nutritional needs rather than spiritual needsIf you want, or need, to know more anout community food provision, there is a podcast that come highly recommended. The feeding Britain Podcast examsines all aspect of community food, and is a great way to keep up with the latest ideas and initatives.23. Groundwork Meat Buying Club
21:27||Ep. 23There is a circle in the food system that we are desperate to square. How do we ensure that farmers get paid a fair price while at the same time ensuring that food is more affordable.One example of this conundrum is our attempts to set up food buying clubs and Co-Ops that are cheaper than supermarkets, yet we are fully aware of the price pressures that supermakers are applying. to producers. And don't get me started on trying to compete with the economies of scale enjoyed by the likes of Asda and Tesco.Well the short answer to how we can square this circle is that we can't.And the long answer? Well hopefully I'm addressing it occasionally in this podcast - think back to the episode on OXFarm to fork.and in this episode I speak to some-one else who is helping to knock the edges off this conundrum. Karen Tozer has set up meat buying club that is sustainible, replicable and follows a community development model, something that is often overlooked in this space22. Food Justice and Food Oppression in the USA
32:23||Ep. 22Once again in this episode, we will be crossing the pond. Andrea Freeman is an American academic and author. Her book "Ruin their Crops on the Ground" relates the history, and current state, of the US food system; especially how it affects marginalised communities. It is a story that is, at best rife with ignorance, and at worst, fraught with deliberate harm.You can purchase Andrea's book from herehttps://www.rarewaves.com/products/9781250871039-ruin-their-crops-on-the-groundor from their Ebay Store.21. From School Dinners to the School Curriculum: The Role of Food in the School System
21:53||Ep. 21This months episode is a sort of epilogue to last month's. After the metaphorical tape stopped rolling the conversation, between me an Janie continued - much of it on a topic dear to both our hearts, the role food in the school school system - from school dinners to the school curriculum.Because this wasn't intended for the podcast you'll hear a lot more from me than usual, along with some insights into how the podcast is made.Find out more about Incredible Edible Lambeth, and watch the film that Janie mentions, here https://www.incredibleediblelambeth.org/20. OxFarmToFork
23:46||Ep. 20If I was to try and describe the perfect food procurement supply chain it would go something like this:short, transparent, fair and sustainable.well in this month's episode Janie Bickersteth from Oxfarm to Fork tell us about an initative that hits all these points and some.19. Elspeth Hay - Feed us with Trees
35:45||Ep. 19A month or so ago a US publisher emailed to ask if I'd like to interview Elspeth Hay, about her recently published book about harvesting nuts., called 'Feed us with Trees' Obviously I agreed, I love talking to anyone about food . But what I didn't expect was how profoundly reading the book would both change and clarify my outlook. From how traditional hunter-gathering societies managed the land, to how trees could and should play a major role in modern agriculture, prepare to discover a missing piece of the modern food system.You can download a copy of the book from herehttps://newsociety.com/book/feed-us-with-trees/?aff=65For the full episode, go to:https://youtu.be/z6kIB9Vrl5I18. Lucinda Place Community Orchard
26:00||Ep. 18In this episode we're heading out of town And by 'out of town, I don't mean the countryside I mean suburban Auckland, on New Zealands North Island. This is a bit of a family affair, as the tour guide is my sister, and you hear the odd interjection from my Dad.You'll also need a brief orentation session, so here we go. I was there at Christmas, which is coming into summer, and when talk about the climate up north, that's closer to the equator, with hotter summer and milder winters. So join me on on a tour of the The Lucida Place Community Orchard.The crops might be different - I mean olives and avacadoes for goodness sake - but a lot of the issues around running a community orchard are pretty much identical.This was recorded on the fly, so expect lots of wildlife, wind, and the odd plane.17. In Conversation with Janna
24:02||Ep. 17This episode is a follow on from the previous episode, During our visit to the Action Day for Nature I went on a guided tour around the site. I must say it was an inspirational guide to what can be done to share our amenity spaces with nature. Full credit needs to given to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and Andy Steele, who has done such sterling work at the rugby ground. But that isn't really what this episode is about, even though it takes place in that wonderful naturally managed space. Nor is it really an interview. At the end of the tour I fell into conversation with Janna, as we took a woodland walk around the edge of the field, ending back at the exhibition stalls. We'd both been invited to contribute some of our expertise by Andy during his talk, so it wasn't surprising that we should end up in conversation. As it happened I'd left my mic on. Don't get me wrong I am a pro! and towards the end of the chat it became a formal interview, of sorts,.The recording starts at the end of the tour, with Janna recommending a bird identifier app, it's an unedited start - and it was just as spontaneous as it sounds This is a wide ranging conversation; about wild food, nature recording and our relationship with nature, even in the heart of a city