Did anyone see 'Future of Food' (with George Alagiah) last night?
(Watch on BBC iPlayer. (http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?action=post;board=21.0))
I wrote a review (http://seaforthallotments.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-future-of-food-bbc2.html) on my blog...
It was heavy stuff at times, but I thought the interview with the Cuban farmer was very interesting... He was advocating small-scale, (labour) intensive farming - far more efficient in terms of 'energy per unit area' yields, and far less reliant on the chemical and oil industry.
Whilst this isn't going to replace industrial agriculture in the West any time soon (it is not efficient in the capitalist sense), I think the model could be used on a local level. It fits in perfectly with the concept of radically expanding allotment provision (in the UK) and has a number of tangible benefits...
What do allotment-owners and forum-posters think?
I watched it. Thought it was interesting but a bit superficial. Raised big issues but glossed over them and moved on.
I didn't see it.. might watch the link later...
Have seen the "Cuban System" before and think it is a very sensible and productive system but would need some adaptation for our cooler climate... :)
for more in depth info on the Cuban system, check out the soil associations website.
http://www.soilassociation.org/
Quote from: ceres
Thought it was interesting but a bit superficial. Raised big issues but glossed over them and moved on.
Well, it is the BBC... :P
At least these important issues had an airing.
Quote from: saddad
Have seen the "Cuban System" before and think it is a very sensible and productive system but would need some adaptation for our cooler climate...
It certainly would! But I think the principles are sound... What I find most interesting (and appealing) about the system is that it redresses the balance of power in favour of communities and people.
I think a lot of the issues surrounding 'food security' are a function of the dislocation of food production and distribution, and ordinary people. The logic of the free market dictates that it makes sense to import lamb from New Zealand, and export the same product from Wales!
Tonybloke - thanks for the link. :)
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/content/images/2007/08/16/goodlife_1_396x222.jpg)
Hi Seaforth
I support your call for greater provision of allotments, but if you're going to be successful you need a significant initiative to get the petit-minded chair-moistening local councillors to pull their collective thumbs out of their areses and actually get a vision, and you're on your own, because the NSALG-cardigan-wearing pipe-smoking bearded-wonders are still livinging in the Good Life-70's, Hugh Fernly Whatshisface's Landshare is subverting the movement, Gordo the Magnificent couldn't give a stuffed pepper, and by the end of next year the ecconomy will be all buy-your-council-house-boom and nobody will remember what the hell couch grass is as they check-out at Waitrose with their organic asparagus from Kenya. Come the end of 2010 we'll be grateful if our plots aren't housing developments.
'Unwashed', you win the award for most humorous post ever, as well as a special commendation for gratuitous use of hyphenated words! What a fantastic rant. I may frame it and put it on the wall. :)
You're quite right, though; "significant initiative" is indeed required, and it's not just the mysterious forces-of-international-capital (like the Power Rangers, only slightly less camp) that have to be overcome. I think the internet is (part of) the answer, organisationally speaking.
(Had Vladimir Ilyich had access to the www, I'm sure he'd have been a Menshevik.)
Rather hope I'm not (literally) "on my own", though... :-\