We were very excited to see the review on a new National Food Strategy launched last week. It’s not often as a country we step-back and take a look at our food system and plan for the future.

In the Rurban Revolution project we too are stepping-back to think about urban food strategy: in our research we are exploring how up-scaling urban food production could result in a more healthy, sustainable and resilient food system. 

What is the National Food Strategy?

Political uncertainty, climate change and health concerns have led to the UK Government announcing the first major review of the UK food system in 75 years. Headed by restauranteur and co-founder of the Sustainable Restaurant Association Henry Dimbleby, the review will examine all aspects of the UK food system, “from field to fork”. The outcome of this will be the publication of the new National Food Strategy in 2020 that aims to safeguard our food system for future generations, whilst reducing environmental damage and ensuring access to healthy, safe food for us all. 

Why do we need a Food Strategy?

Our food system has changed radically since the last review took place 75 years ago. The variety and nature of food we eat today would have seemed unimaginable back then. This is thanks to the sheer intensity and scale at which we farm, produce, process, import and export our food, but what’s the cost?  

Diet-related conditions, such as obesity and diabetes, pose major challenges to the NHS and people’s quality of life as their health deteriorates. Agriculture is a major driver of climate change, being responsible for around 30% of our greenhouse gas emissions, and some farming practices lead to biodiversity loss, water pollution and environmental degradation. Reliance on imports could make us vulnerable to food system shocks. Economic and political uncertainty can trigger food insecurity, leading to shortages, malnourishment and price fluctuations. Problems like these are at the heart of the new National Food Strategy, and Rurban Revolution.   

Where does urban agriculture factor in? 

Why should we think about urban food systems when thinking about a national food strategy? The majority of the UK population lives in urban areas and growing food poverty in cities is a major concern. Urban agriculture provides a great opportunity for increasing our food production at the point of need, connecting people with their food and nature, shortening our supply chains and making them more resilient. At the same time, the rejuvenation of degraded urban landscapes can provide further ecosystem benefits. 

Rurban Revolution and a National Food Strategy 

We’ve taken a look at the aims for the National Food Strategy and we see five ways in which our new research can add to the evidence Henry Dimbleby and his team will be gathering. 

1. We are investigating how increasing urban growing and greening could influence healthy diets. The food systems review is looking at ways to deliver healthy, sustainable food to all to improve our diets and health. Our research is helping us understand the connections between urban food growing and health: does increasing access and connection with growing of fruit and vegetables lead to better dietary choices, stress reduction and ultimately better health? 
2. We are studying how urban-grown food could contribute to food system resilience. Fresh fruit and vegetable supply chains are particularly vulnerable to future shocks and are of high value for our health. We’re working on a UK-wide analysis that will tell us what, where, and how much fruit and vegetables we could grow in our urban environments. By comparing this with the fresh fruit and vegetables we grow domestically and import, we will be able to explore the potential or urban food systems to play a part in national food system resilience.  
3. We are thinking about how urban food production could enhance or restore our natural environment.We will be examining how using our urban landscape for fruit and vegetable production – whether it be through garden-growing and allotments, community growing projects, edible corridors and rooftops, or indoor vertical farming – affects the ecosystem services that are delivered in cities, and whether this helps alleviate pressures in other landscapes. 
4. We are testing the nutritional quality and safety of urban-grown and conventionally grown fruit and vegetables. We need to be sure that what our food system produces is actually safe and good for us. That’s why we are examining how pollution and the supply chains themselves, aka the “field to fork” time, can affect nutritional quality and safety. 
5. We are examining how urban growing and greening could support the economy. The food system needs to provide jobs and foster innovation for sustainable solutions to our food supply issues. Rurbanisation is an exciting solution to this. Upscaling it needs producers, urban planners, stakeholders and scientists to work together. Figuring out what this could look like is just one of our aims for Rurban Revolution.   

We’re thrilled that the food systems review is happening right as we’re getting started with Rurban Revolution because it mirrors so many of our aims. Over the next two years our interdisciplinary team will be carrying out the described here and elsewhere on our website. If you want to keep in touch with us as the research progresses, please sign up to our newsletter or contact us via our social media channels. You can also take part in our first consumer survey about fruit and vegetable growing, health, nature, and diet.