Attitude change 'key to improving food security'

A Guernsey farmer says the island could produce up to a third of food needed in the island if attitudes towards food changed.

Jock Pettitt, co-founder of the Soil Farm, said he estimated more than 90% of food was imported, with about £50m of food coming through the island's ports each year.

Pettitt said the security of food in Guernsey was fragile and consumers needed to look at supporting local growers.

He says: "We eat what we want when we want, but need to eat seasonally."

There are farms on the island which produce food for large super markets.

Guernsey Farm Produce produces potatoes and milk for the likes of Waitrose and Alliance.

Farmer Simon Cowley said: "The local produce is preferable but people do notice costs.

"If the UK brings stuff in really cheap, then we obviously can't compete with those prices and ours will be higher than the UK's would be.

"It varies from store to store. Generally, the stores are quite good at supporting local."

Shops across the island said they were looking to help support local growers.

A spokesperson from Waitrose says: "As well as all our fresh milk, other locally-produced products in our Guernsey branches include butter, cream, ice cream, potatoes and eggs.

"We're looking to expand this further, investing even more in our support for local farmers.

The term "food security" looks at whether or not people have enough food.

Tim Lang, professor emeritus of food policy at City St George's, University of London, said the term considered many factors.

He said: "Do they have the right sort of food? Is it affordable, accessible and stable and do people have enough of it?

"What we need to be doing is having debates on food security. I recommend creating what I call a civil food resilience committee.

"It could include growers, farmers, gardeners, the church, the food bank, people who are interested in food.

"They would ask: 'Where are we now, where are the risks? "What do we need to do and what will the public want?"

The idea of somewhere like Guernsey becoming self-sufficient is dependant on the way farming is done

The Soil Farm produces meat, eggs fruit and vegetables and sells them at their farm shop.

The style of farming was based on understanding the environment and using simple methods that could easily be replicated, bosses said..

The farm said it wanted to get to a position where, if boats stopped coming for any reason, families would still be able to put food on the table.

The farm started in a trial in a small area which produced 670kg (1,500lb) of produce, but now the farm has been able to grow up to 30 times that amount.

Pettitt said that food security could be enhanced by growing the right plants at the right time of year.

He said: "Right now, if you want cucumbers and tomatoes, it's not that time.

"When that time comes again, the enjoyment of engaging with those things, it's like everyone knows courgette season. By the time courgette season gets to its peak point, everyone's had enough of courgettes but then they go away and when they come round again courgettes are back.

"So I think we have some challenges as a community to vote differently, to connect differently with the seasons, to perhaps get cooking a little bit more.

"When the ingredients are so good, you don't even need to cook complex. You can just prepare simple meals with wonderful ingredients and, for me, that's been one of the joys of going on this journey.

"I don't like the numbers. We are reliant on the food coming through the harbour and we all know what it looks like on the shelves when that food doesn't come, and there are so many reasons why that boat might not arrive.

Pettitt said: "One thing I've learned about farming is that is touches everything.

"In terms of support from the States, you need everything for planning, to Environment and Infrastructure and Policy and Resources.

"You're in the hospitality sector, you're in the environmental sector, you're across the board.

"You need very broad support in different ways and I think the most important is the dialogue between all of those."

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