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From breaking oil dependency to urban farming

  • by JW

Entering a ‘fuel and food crisis’, should the Sid Valley be considering more local food production?

“The solution: 80% of our food (veg, drink, bread) produced sustainably on small farms and delivered via hubs in town.”

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How are we going to manage under sanctioning fuel imports? Can we break our dependence on oil and gas? And might urban farming be a way to feed ourselves through the coming food shortages?

“The Power of Community” – from sanctions to breaking oil dependency to urban farming – Sidmouth Solarpunk

The ‘urban farm’ is certainly a focus for real interest:

Food forests and forest gardens – Vision Group for Sidmouth (March 2022)

Allotments and urban farming: a new study – Vision Group for Sidmouth (December 2021)

Urban farming – Vision Group for Sidmouth  (Mary 2021)

But could something like this work for the Sid Valley?

Back in March 2020, Prof Evan Parker gave a talk at the Science Festival’s Café Scientifique – proposing that we really did need to meet the challenge of local food production:

The solution: 80% of our food (veg, drink, bread) produced sustainably on small farms and delivered via hubs in town.

New Thinking on Clean Growth – Transforming Sidmouth – Prof Evan Parker – Café Sci – 31mar20

Creating a new Vision for Sidmouth – Vision Group for Sidmouth

The VGS subsequently looked at these proposals – together with some key members of the community – with a follow-up draft scoping document including proposed actions:

A vision for Sidmouth – scoping doc – v3 – 9apr20

Two years on and entering a ‘fuel and food crisis’, should the Sid Valley be considering more local food production?

Running out of food: facing decisions about how to farm – Vision Group for Sidmouth