The economics of staying fed....

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Unkraut

Master of the Inane Comment
Location
Germany
Partly failed nation. The fact food banks exist shows there are still some who are willing to give time and resources to those on the breadline.
 
Partly failed nation. The fact food banks exist shows there are still some who are willing to give time and resources to those on the breadline.

You are Jacob Rees Mogg AICMFP.
The voluntary support given to food banks is "rather uplifting" and "shows what a compassionate country we are", Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has said.
He told LBC radio the only reason for the rise in their use was "that people know that they are there".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41264965
 

mudsticks

Squire
Good article from Jack Monroe....

https://www.theguardian.com/society...my-own-price-index?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

An interesting initiative that sorts inflationary wheat from the chafe for those on the breadline....
The numbers turning to food banks and the creep of food poverty in this country is a terrible indictment of failed nation....

Don't disagree with much of what Jack says .

But that we should even think it acceptable that a large chunk of our population is reliant on the lowest quality cheap food , often that food which is going to feed the next generation, is really depressing.

If you look at the price of food relative to all the other essentials it has gone down.
Along with a depression in food quality.

Unsurprising that food quality is depressed in a system with such marginal returns to the primary producer.

Meanwhile the price of things that build capital for the already well off.mainly 'property' has gone up enormously.
So property owners are 'enriched'

The National Food Strategy , went some way to recognising, and even tackling all, this, but not far enough .

Unsurprising really given that it was commissioned by a Tory government, and left out the causes for such a squeeze in household budgets, such as the 'free trade' race to the bottom on food quality
.

There is so much that needs to be done around good food provision , and good food supply, alongside things like better housing provision so that people aren't having to make a choice between heating and eating.

The food system is broken, feeding people good food should be the main.aim.

People having access to good food has so many other knock on positive effects in terms of educational attainment, and positive social outcomes.

Provision of sufficient nutritious food is not even seen as a 'Public Good' in this country, in the way that education and healthcare are.

Nuts given that it's a fundamental human need.


In the medium term we need more local food network's of farmers and growers supplying directly into their local food system, thereby upping nutrition, and reducing waste.


In the short term UC payments need to cover the cost of eating properly, and truly social housing needs to be provisioned
Not this lip service paid to a few 'affordable' houses being built on the edge of a new estate.


Partly failed nation. The fact food banks exist shows there are still some who are willing to give time and resources to those on the breadline.

Yes thankfully there's usually a brigade of good sorts willing to help out where government has failed miserably.


Shame Tory voters can't even make the effort give their vote to ousting the deliberate creators of this austerity.
 

qigong chimp

Settler of gobby hash.
This is what's wrong with this country. When I were a lad my Dad got on his bike and went out looking for a place to starve..
 

farfromtheland

Regular AND Goofy
In the short term UC payments need to cover the cost of eating properly, and truly social housing needs to be provisioned
Not this lip service paid to a few 'affordable' houses being built on the edge of a new estate.
Housing and inflated property prices are the background cause of poverty in the UK now. The right to buy council homes needs to be called out as organised crime - huge amounts of public money goes into the pockets of property speculators in housing benefits, which could otherwise go to people who need it.

What should we be doing to grow more healthy food and get it to local markets mudsticks? What crops are best?
 

mudsticks

Squire
Housing and inflated property prices are the background cause of poverty in the UK now. The right to buy council homes needs to be called out as organised crime - huge amounts of public money goes into the pockets of property speculators in housing benefits, which could otherwise go to people who need it.

What should we be doing to grow more healthy food and get it to local markets mudsticks? What crops are best?
i could easily list you the crops best suited to any locale but that's almost the least of our problems.

Farmers and growers need secure access to good land to do that - shortening the supply chain - give fair access to markets - particularly around public procurement -.

And facilitate more urban and peri urban growing, at all scales.

Access to education and training in sustainable food growing, and government support where necessary for doing it..

Highlight, and restrict the dominance of the industrial food chain which exploits both producers and consumers - hence you even end up with food industry workers having to use food banks,

Lots of organisations are trying to move things in that direction.

Sustain is a particularly active coalition of groups trying to do much of this and more .
 

BoldonLad

Old man on a bike. Not a member of a clique.
Location
South Tyneside
Housing and inflated property prices are the background cause of poverty in the UK now. The right to buy council homes needs to be called out as organised crime - huge amounts of public money goes into the pockets of property speculators in housing benefits, which could otherwise go to people who need it.

What should we be doing to grow more healthy food and get it to local markets mudsticks? What crops are best?
As well as education in growing healthy food, we need education in preparing and cooking it too, IMHO.
 
Those experiencing food poverty should organise a march past of Downing Street, with a lusty chorus of "Those about to starve salute you!"
They would be too ashamed, apart from aforementioned cost and other issues.
Housing and inflated property prices are the background cause of poverty in the UK now. The right to buy council homes needs to be called out as organised crime - huge amounts of public money goes into the pockets of property speculators in housing benefits, which could otherwise go to people who need it.
I'm useally quite liberal but on this topic it really about time to be done something about it. i don't agree with right to buy on council homes, they just need to make a few rules that eliminate those who buy those houses to make a big profit on it. But the fast majority of the issues if off crouse all those factory house or flats on ''help to buy'' or similar schemes which is basicly dumping the uk full off cheap, badly build mass housing that does'nt serve any purpose. other than money going round past a few developers.
 
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