How are we doing so far?
Our campaign to link landowners with potential growers is driven by the necessity to grow more veg and eat more veg. Whether you are a low fat vegan enthusiast or a keto/paleo fanatic or whether you fit into neither category, you will all agree that veg is good. Repeat …VEG IS GOOD!
That’s not just for us and our health, not just so we can avoid dying early with cancer or dropping dead with a heart attack in a very inconvenient place. It’s not even just so we can avoid the embarrassment of being stuck in a loo straining to poo - excuse me, I worked as a dietitian and poo is common place in my lexicon.
No! It’s not just for us - it’s for the planet stupid! That’s right. The planet needs us to eat more veg. Because… and this is the controversial bit… we need to eat less meat. And because… more controversy… meat usually comes from animals (not precision fermentation) and animals are taking up too much space on our planet. Really?
What a minefield!
I think I need to refer to greater minds than mine for help. So I implore you to listen to Jyoti Fernandes from the Landworkers Alliance to put the case and you may be better placed to make up your own mind.
Whether through evidence or intuition, Grow and Graze believes we need to do both. And we need to do both much better. But sadly Grow and Graze is based in the Pennine Hills where we have plenty of grazing and not nearly enough growing. Sure some people grow veg in their gardens, there are some abundant allotments and Incredible Edible in Todmorden grows all sorts along the canal bank, outside the doctors surgery and in Mr Plod’s car park. But what happens in the green fields that surround us?
I asked a farmer’s daughter “Why don’t you grow any veg on your farm?”
Answer: «Because we tried in the war and it was rubbish »
Maybe it was rubbish. Maybe the soil is just not suitable for veg here. Maybe the climate is too cold, too extreme, too unpredictable. Maybe the deer, rabbits, slugs, snails will eat the veg. Maybe it just too much like bloody hard work. Maybe there is just not any money to be made growing veg because the supermarkets are selling it cheap.
So how fortunate it is that Grow and Graze has some people on board who will take on a challenge. People who do genuinely want to benefit people and planet. People who believe we can improve our soil, that we can create microclimates with hedging, that we can fence against rabbit and deer, deter slugs and snails with the right growing techniques. People who believe that growers should be paid a fair price for their produce. That veg should be grown locally, should be grown agro- ecologically, should be accessible to local people through shorter supply lines.
So how are we progressing so far - we have 5 potential offers of land and 5 potential growers but zillions of hurdles to cross. But potentially that’s 5 acres of veg, providing a living for 5 people and providing food for 400 people. That’s a start.
To help and support us you need to spread the word, share the posts, share the website, contact us if you can offer any help or advice. We all have a lot to learn.
