Finding our way to a better food system
Our #EatNZKaitaki Sarah McFadden shares her experience in the sustainable food sector including in her new role as General Manager at Kelmarna Gardens.
I’ve been working in the sustainable food sector for quite some time now, both in Aotearoa and overseas. Most of my experience has been in small, community based organisations, operating on either a non-for-profit basis.
The intention behind this work, as much as it is to produce and provide good food, has also been to educate. To help people understand why these methods of food production and retail are important, and how we can look to such examples to understand how our food system needs to change if we are to cope with the challenges posed by climate change and the degradation of our natural environment.
Education is an important piece of the puzzle because I think it’s fair to say that most of the population, particularly those in cities, are disconnected with where our food comes from, how it is produced, and from the people that do this important mahi.
Farmers markets and direct to customer retail outlets where you could chat directly to food producers have almost died out, replaced instead with supermarkets with long opaque supply chains. This separation from where our food comes from often hides the negative impacts of its production and distribution, and so the true cost.
There have been plenty of reports in recent times about the problem of the supermarket models, so I won’t go into that much more here, but head for the footnotes if you’d like to read more.
What I’d like to share is more about what we’re doing at Kelmarna Community Farm, and why small scale, local growers and retail outlets like us can be models to look to for a better food future. We can provide more than just fresh, low-carbon produce. We can also encourage healthier diets, contribute to a local food economy, create meaningful jobs, and we bring people together.
The significance of organic
Kelmarna is certified organic through OrganicFarmNZ, and we use regenerative organic methods to build the health of our soil, water, and biodiversity, while sequestering carbon into our soils and growing nutrient-dense food for our community.
Organic farming is a powerful tool in our efforts to slow down climate change, organic soils are around 25% more effective at storing carbon than soils on conventional farms.
Hence growing in this manner is one of the best ways to guarantee a sustainable supply of food for future generations, caring for the land in the way it deserves.
And while organic produce often costs more than conventional produce, ‘cheaper’ conventionally grown food usually means that the ‘cost’ is passed further down the system either by large-scale farming and distribution systems that are highly damaging to the environment, or by contributing far less to farmers and their staff.
The best of each season
Author James Rebanks said “Our diets should be shaped by what works for the land.”
Indeed, this is what we’re trying to do at Kelmarna. Our approach to growing seasonally supports what can be naturally grown in our Auckland climate.
In a better food system we would all be looking at what our land and soils can produce and basing the offer to customers around that. But currently, for most of the general population this will be rather unfamiliar, as supermarkets and other similar retailers give a false impression about our food seasons through their perpetual summer, year round range, regardless of the season. Sadly, in order to operate like this they rely on imported veggies, or those grown in heated glasshouses (for which the carbon footprint soars).
Sure, seasonal eating can take some getting used to, but I’ve heard from customers time and time again how impactful a seasonal veg supply can be on improving your skills and creativity in the kitchen, increasing how much fresh veg you eat, and generally diversifying your diet. And at Kelmarna we’re keen to do more to help our customers see the creative potential of working within the limits that seasonality imposes on our shopping and cooking habits.
The power of local
Lower food kilometres and reduced storage emissions are an obvious benefit of local food supply chains. And with less distance to travel produce is fresher from farm to table, which tends to mean higher level of nutrition.
‘A Case for Local Food’ report recently published in the UK shares “there is a growing body of evidence which challenges the assumption that specialised, large-scale monoculture is the best way to produce food, with the existing economics ignoring the multiple externalities, such as the cost to our health and environment.” It reports that “by capturing a greater proportion of value, local food systems can support good employment and flourishing independent businesses, while enabling investment in nature and innovation on farms.”
So, if we can increase the amount of food bought from local growers like Kelmarna, this sector can thrive, enabling our communities to benefit from local food that is more available, affordable, accessible and identifiable.
Minimising waste
In the mainstream food system 30-40% of all produce is wasted. Often even before it leaves the farm. Knowing the effort and hard work that goes into farming this number is a tragedy.
But local supply chains and direct to consumer retail outlets provide an alternative that ensures all (or almost all of the produce is utilised). In veggie box schemes or community supported agriculture trading models - like we have at Kelmarna - a commitment to regular and consistent orders helps farmers plan, so they only grow what is required, thereby minimising the chance of waste in the field.
In our Kelmarna Farm Shop we operate a refillable container solution instead of packing into bags. We then encourage customers to bring their own container for filling by weight. We also use minimal packaging elsewhere in our systems...
- most of our produce is sold loose, or simply bunched with a rubber-band.
- we use large reusable containers for our sales to restaurants and for our storage of produce in the chiller.
These actions can be a key part of reducing packaging in the food system and showcasing a model for local food production that is almost zero waste!
Additionally, we still sell wonky, small, big, misshapen, beautiful and so-called “ugly” produce - the sort of produce the supermarkets would reject, but really it all tastes good. The small amount of surplus we have each week goes to volunteers as an appreciation for their mahi, so very little is wasted.
Fresh is best
The fresher your food is, the better nutritional profile it has. When veggies are grown locally in relation to where they’re sold, they get into your homes and onto your plate in a matter of days. This can make a big difference to how they taste and how long they last. We’re very lucky here at Kelmarna that our Farm Shop is onsite, the vegetables we grow travel mere metres from field to shop.
Benefits for the wider community
Overall, one of big the advantages of supporting local food and buying from an organisation like Kelmarna, is that the money from your veggie purchases goes directly to the farmer/organisation, rather than being lost in a longer-supply chain.
As a charitable organisation, all proceeds from produce sales fund our work to teach people about growing food, connect people with nature and their community, and support people through horticultural therapy. This is not just unique to Kelmarna, many sustainable food providers have an impact far greater than just the volume of food they produce. Community programmes, volunteer engagement, training and events result in social, economic and physical and mental health benefits. A recent case study in the UK by the New Economics Foundation and the Soil Association, called “Farmer-focused Routes to Market” looked at London based not-for-profit organic food business: Growing Communities. It found that for every £1 spent buying organic food through their farmers’ market or veg scheme, almost £3 more was generated in benefits to farmers and growers, their workers, local suppliers, citizens and the environment. Amazing!
At Kelmarna we have the privilege of guardianship of approximately 1.7 hectares in Ponsonby, Tāmaki Makaurau. Such a large urban farm in the heart of Aotearoa’s biggest city provides an amazing opportunity to help make these types of farming and retail models more visible and accessible. Our aim is to showcase a vision of our food future - one that is community-centred, human-scale, diverse, ecologically-regenerative farming for nourishment, not commodity.
To find out more about our work visit: kelmarnagardens.nz
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