Food From Scotland's Back Yard

When ever the subject of the environment comes up the talk from politicians is all about grand schemes and big ideas designed to fix things at a stroke. To me what we should be doing is developing ideas that are manageable, practical and beyond all else - workable. The debate about food is high on the agenda at the moment, should there be GM crops, food shortages, the high cost of bringing food from overseas and the control of the supermarkets on our food supply are on the media’s mind.

Could it be that we’re missing something? Should we not be doing things closer to home to alleviate some of the problems? Why doesn’t the Scottish Government put money into the setting up of more farmer’s markets. Financially support on a much wider scale the local food industries. There should be local food networks established that make people more aware of what is available locally. The farmers and producers I’ve talked to are great at what they do but the one thing that probably holds them all back is the marketing and distribution. There needs to be a campaign of awareness for consumers, practical help as to where to buy and the wherewithal to be able to do it.

This is not radical big scale stuff but practical small scale activity that could grow and could help change the eating patterns of the nation. It benefits the local economy, helps save the planet….and the food will probably taste better.