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Land, water, nature, food: Creating sustainable regional food systems
Have your say on creating a sustainable regional food system
Introduction
This survey has now closed but you can still read our draft Climate Action Report and proposed actions and watch the video of the evidence gathering session (below). Please give your feedback on our other active surveys - we would love to have your views!
Of the 5.5 million people living in the Yorkshire and Humber region, just over 20% are reported to be experiencing food insecurity. Those who have less wealth tend to be more likely to suffer from malnutrition, with more healthy foods being shown to be nearly three times as expensive as less healthy foods. As our climate changes, we face even more challenges in ensuring everyone has access to enough healthy, sustainable food.
In addition, our current food production and consumption practices are contributing to loss of biodiversity, emission of greenhouse gases, accelerating climate change, and generating pollution and waste. Whilst there are some excellent examples of good and best practice in the region of regenerative farming, it is also true to say that we are living in an unbalanced, unsustainable and inequitable food system which needs to change.
Below you will find a draft report, bringing together the themes, thoughts and existing research around a sustainable food system in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
Read our draft Regional Climate Action Report
We have prepared a report by bringing in ideas and expertise from our commissioners, research, and experts who are tackling the problem across the country, in the region, and on the ground. You can watch the session in the video at the foot of this page.
At this stage, the report might not give the full picture so we would really value your feedback. The ideas we are discussing affect everyone - we want to know what you think. Please give your responses in the survey below
Key messages
The draft report has identified four principles for a sustainable, regional food system:
Everyone in the region has enough food
People are eating a healthy, sustainable diet
All farms are profitable, sustainable and nature-positive
Food production is resilient to changes in the climate
We welcome input on whether these principles capture the essence of what is needed for a sustainable food system and whether the proposed regional actions in the draft report around governance, production and education will lead to a just and inclusive transition.
What we would like to know
We would like your input to challenge and shape the ideas set out in this first draft.
We are keen to hear from experts on different aspects of the food system to ensure rigour in our interpretation of the science and social factors underpinning this paper.
We are equally keen to hear from people who aren’t experts but are residents in the region to ensure our final position paper and actions address the needs of people living in our communities.
Check out the report on regional food systems
Watch this video if you are interested in watching the full recording of the expert panel presentations on creating a secure and sustainable regional food system. Watching this video is optional and if you do not want to watch, simply click 'next' to submit your survey.
We heard from two expert speakers in our Delivering Impact Session on 25th October 2022, each presenting their perspectives on how the region’s food system could evolve for the better, and then discussed the opportunities and the actions we could take as a region.
Farming for Nature and Profit: Chris Clark - Nethergill Associates
The potentials of regional land governance for food systems transformation: Dr Christopher Yap - Centre for Food Policy, City, University of London and FixOurFood Research Fellow
This engagement phase has finished
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