Founder of Sowing Our Horizons and The Power of Food Festival, and regular wanderer with the Outsiders, Marie-Amélie is passionate about food systems and their impact on people and planet.
In this piece, Marie-Amélie, advocate for regenerative urban food ecosystems, helps us understand what our local food system is, why it matters, and how to get involved through the eyes of a 5-year-old. The perfect introduction to food systems for laypeople!
Imagine a little girl, her name is Liou, she’s five years old and she loves a good birthday cake!
Emily: so Liou, tell me: What’s your favourite food? What do you demolish in no time and always ask for more?
Liou: A cake!
Emily: Yeah, great choice! What sort of cake?
Liou: A lemon drizzle cake…
Emily: Yum! And who bakes that cake for you?
Liou: My Daddy! He makes the best lemon drizzle cake in the whole world!
Emily: Amazing! I’d love to try some of his lemon drizzle cake. And what does he put in it? Have you ever helped him?
Liou: I think … flour … sugar … butter … eggs … hmmm?…
Emily: I think you have forgotten one key ingredient of a lemon drizzle cake?…
Liou: Lemons!
Emily: Fantastic! Isn’t that amazing to think – just a few ingredients mixed together in a bowl, pop in the oven and… bingo, your favourite cake is here for you to enjoy! And tell me, do you like to have it all to yourself and eat it all on your own?
Liou: I like … to eat lots of it myself! … And I like it when I eat it with my friends, like for my birthday!
Emily: oh yes! A cake for you and your friends, for your birthday! Wonderful.
Liou: Yes, I like that very much!
Emily: You’ve got it. What makes you super happy is to have fun with your friends and to eat a delicious cake together. Food is so special like that. We love to share it, and it feels so good when we do!
And tell me now, what makes that cake so delicious? Apart from the company of your friends to share it with and your Daddy’s special recipe… Have you ever thought about that flour he uses, the eggs, the sugar, the butter, the lemons? Where did your Daddy get them? Can you tell me their story? Where have they come from? Who grew those beautiful yellow lemons? And those eggs? …
Liou: Our neighbour gave us the eggs! She has hens.
Emily: Fabulous! I bet you she loves her hens.
Liou: Yes! I love them too. They’re so funny….
So there we have it: the food system story … what’s on your plate? How has it got there? Who’s been involved, over time and space, to bring you your favourite birthday cake? How has nature played its part?
Amazingly powerful stories lie behind each mouthful…
Sadly, nowadays, the mainstream food system story is one of faraway land and invisible people.
Our food winds its way to us along very – very! – long supply chains, so much so that we have no idea where it comes from and what stories it tells. We’ve become disconnected and blind to it, and to the destruction it causes.
- Food is the single largest contributor to climate change
- Food is the single largest contributor to biodiversity loss
- Food is the single largest contributor to poor human health
Yet another story exists and you can witness it directly if you open your eyes, slow down a little, and pay attention to what’s under your nose, on your doorstep.
In Edinburgh, we are very lucky to have many beautiful examples of doing food differently, especially when it comes to reconnecting with where it comes from: the land and the web of life.
It’s March and spring is springing! Look around, life is unfurling. It’s an ideal time to notice and be curious about what’s happening … in your plate … and in your city.
My favourite way into our complex food system is a simple invitation: to discover community food growing. Over the years, The Power of Food Festival, Edinburgh’s festival of community food growing, has had over 50 gardens take part, right across the city and beyond. Plenty of options to get involved…
Community food growing is distinct from allotments, which are also amazing, but unfortunately, famous for the years of waiting time. Community food growing projects can be found right across the city: from Leith to Wester Hailes, from Craigmillar to Granton, and from Fountainbridge to Bonnington… There’s likely one near you.
While they are all different in the way they look and feel, they are open to everyone to be part of. Their diversity is their strength and will accommodate varied personal preferences.
Typically, you can expect:
- free access
- a warm welcome
- flexibility to engage on a drop-in basis
- the chance to get your hands in the soil
- a fun, supportive environment to share and learn together
Growing food is a powerful act of hope. Sow a seed, see it grow and enjoy its fruit.
Community food growing is not only joyful and positive, but it’s been shown in academic studies to be good for our health – mental and physical; to improve our diet and reconnect us to food; to rekindle a sense of place, belonging and community. It cuts across divides and builds bridges naturally and organically.
This month, on Tuesday 17th, The Outsiders are heading over to Gorgie City Farm for the morning.
We will lend a hand to revitalise this space, which has gone through quite a lot of changes and is ripe for an amazing transformation. Sign up here! If you miss this outing, fear not, you will have another chance. In the meantime, there are other opportunities to explore, including:
- https://www.earth-in-common.org/volunteerwithus
- https://www.facebook.com/redbraescommunitygarden
- https://www.lauristonfarm.scot/get-involved/volunteer/
- https://www.grantoncommunitygardeners.org/
- https://www.grantoncastlewalledgarden.org.uk/volunteering/
- https://www.transitionedinburghsouth.org.uk/
- https://www.bridgendfarmhouse.org.uk/get-involved
- https://www.edibleestates.co.uk/
Finally, if you want to actively encourage a local food system that’s good for people and planet, consider joining Sowing Our Horizons, a meaningful alternative to carbon offsets … and a nourishing community!
See you soon in the garden……
Leave a Reply