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A growing problem

Recent shortages have highlighted the potential advantages of producing our own food, says Hayley North

Farmers holding fresh carrots in hands on farm at sunset. Woman hands holding freshly bunch harvest. Healthy organic food, vegetables, agriculture, close up, toning (31834116)
Farmers holding fresh carrots in hands on farm at sunset. Woman hands holding freshly bunch harvest. Healthy organic food, vegetables, agriculture, close up, toning (31834116) / Copyright (c) 2020 Jukov studio/Shutterstock. No use without permission.

WE DON’T have enough carrots.

We don’t have enough carrots because we don’t have enough carrots.

Actually, carrots are less of the issue at the moment, it is more tomatoes, peppers and anything that needs to be grown in a greenhouse over the winter.

So why my obsession with carrots?

We haven’t sufficiently incentivised – or offered ‘carrots’ to – farmers here or in the UK to grow the vegetables we need over the winter so we’re now seriously short of them. It’s madness.

Farmers in the UK have avoided growing in recent months to avoid excessive heating and lighting costs for their greenhouses, which have sky-rocketed due to the energy cost crisis, and we are now feeling the consequences here too. Rationing of these vegetables might soon spread here if supplies don’t stabilise and we are already noticing empty shelves.

This is short-term thinking and very risky. The global economy and its cheap supplies will come to the rescue, so politicians in the UK believe, and no one is considering the long-term sustainability of this approach.

Traditionally, communities settled in fertile climes where they could grow, rear or catch the food they needed to sustain themselves. I know economists will be quick to call my analysis naive but it was the advent of globalisation in the 1980s and 90s, in my view, that ruined everything. The concept of competitive advantage and the rapid growth of capitalism during this time meant that if you could not produce things cheaper than someone else, it was not worth trying. How depressing is that? So now, most of the things we buy are made in China and elsewhere where the workforce can be more effectively controlled and costs kept low. We import food we could grow here from elsewhere. We rely on others accepting a lower standard of living so we can buy things cheaply. We even import tomatoes. It’s bonkers.

We can change this. I have discussed the lack of food production in the Bailiwick with many and always receive the same response – it just cannot be done profitably and it is therefore not viable or worth it. This is based on an assumption that we need to be the cheapest to go to market globally and export our produce, but what if we don’t want to, what if our market is here and on the other islands? There is a strong movement towards this kind of economic model elsewhere and there is more to life than profits – we are a collection of islands, not a business, and need varied domestic economic activity to fuel our growth and sustain our population. As much as I don’t care for Jeremy Clarkson’s views on many matters and I don’t know the detail of his recent project, his high-profile farm and restaurant in the Cotswolds has sparked a lot of debate of late. He has struggled to obtain planning permission to expand and his restaurant, which used many local products, was closed when neighbours complained about traffic in their rural idyll. Yet the queues for his shop, show that there is huge demand for projects that grow produce locally and businesses that use this produce and there is a shortage of incentives (carrots) for those trying to set up and run these businesses. In fact, it seems we would prefer to hit them with legislative sticks to keep less economically productive locals happy in their quiet back gardens, rather than support them.

Back home, we need to consider these issues. We can’t have our cake and eat it. We need to accept the need for change in our environment to drive economic growth which is urgently needed. We need to be open-minded. The recent announcement of another bail-out of the Dairy would appear to back up the argument that we just cannot make money in local produce, but surely this is because we are not thinking laterally. Were we to grow our own feed, as much as is possible, on unused agricultural land, rationalise the industry to better reflect demand – which we have to accept is decreasing as many choose alternatives to dairy produce – we could preserve the industry and our herds. We could look to generate even small amounts of our own electricity using air source heat pumps, water and wind and we could create a sustainable local model. Prices would have to go up but all the money would be going back into the island economy, thus supporting our population and the industry in question.

The same is true of fruit and vegetables. This week’s announcements have pushed me to get my vegetable plot in action this spring and we have vergees of land and greenhouses ready to be farmed with the right incentives and support. We have the local expertise to get things up and running and I think we have the will to make it work. I would rather pay more for local produce, knowing the money is boosting our economy and protecting our local environment, than pay less for unsustainable imported goods of all kinds. A local food production network could also easily support the most financially vulnerable in creative ways, which would help to minimise waste and offset the impact of higher prices.

There have been attempts to create sustainable models here but without States support and strong incentives and long-term thinking, they just aren’t enough to build a sustainable model into the future.

The fantastic work that Grow does not only provides produce for sale but also supports vulnerable groups, giving individuals a chance to contribute through work that is (and I know this from family experience) life-changing and extremely valuable.

Edible Guernsey provides similarly positive experiences and could leverage their systems and processes if incentivised to do so. The social benefits of growing and distributing food are also not to be underestimated.

Locals are keen to keep it local. We want to see our island doing what it does best – growing and making things, teaching each other skills and helping each other be better. We can ask for help from elsewhere to support us in these endeavours and could become a go-to destination for all those living elsewhere who have a focus on living sustainably, seasonally and locally – there is far more demand for this than many of us realise.

Focusing inwards rather than seeking solutions elsewhere and adapting to the whims of the global economy is the way forward for all small communities if we are to maintain our independence, attract investment and build an environment that serves as a model for sustainable living and working. If we want people to make this happen, we need to offer carrots of all kinds in terms of tax breaks, training budgets, infrastructure loans and collaborative models that put islanders’ needs first. Incentives that prioritise sustainable business models, our heritage and the security of food supply. We are not planning for a finite period, the Bailiwick will be here long after we are all gone and we need to encourage those who want to make living here possible and desirable well into the distant future.

Meanwhile, I welcome all your tips on how to grow my own carrots.

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