Nourishing Communities How Fife Council can help when there’s a squeeze

Communities and food Food buying atomised Consumers not citizens Values, affiliation, gender, lifestyle, culture Opportunities for collective/community action – growing, sourcing, storing, cooking, eating Why would people bother to do this?

How Fife Council could help Policy and leadership: be dead clear that there is a problem, and have a visible champion Symbolic actions – eg – Meat-free Monday – Gardening leave challenge – support for events/festivals –

Community right to grow Presumption in favour of leasing vacant land to communities/social enterprises Use developer contributions and community land bonds to work with communities to acquire and safeguard new common land for growing Put on courses and classes on gardening and growing as part of lifelong learning provision – intergenerational work

Strategic mapping Proactive planning in partnership with farmers and communities to use AD and sewage sludge in a local network Organise vegetable oil economy, using local rapeseed oil plus recycling Link heat sources with protected growing spaces, incl rooftops

Support food mutuals Work with credit unions to develop community procurement of staple products (eggs, potatoes, veg, cereals, apples, soft fruit, milk, meat?) from local farms and fish from the harbour Explore with bank such as Triodos scope for issuing sustainable food bonds

As well as procurement… Extend Fifestyle scheme to include locally- produced vegetables and fruit Explain benefits of local economic multiplier to employees, encourage workplace food groups Permit carpark deliveries of Fife-grown food to reduce distribution costs Develop green apprenticeship scheme

Land use strategy Get food on SESPlan agenda Argue for local authority (and community) influence on farm subsidy regime to encourage farmers to respond to community need Enable farmers to rent land for community growing/polytunnels Support school:farm partnerships