London’s 1% – The Quest for a Local and Sustainable Food Future
In recent years, food sustainability has become a vital focus in London, as the city embraces initiatives that support local food production, reduce waste, and promote an eco-conscious food system. According to ReLondon, a partnership between the Mayor of London and the London boroughs, finding locally grown and sourced food in London is rather difficult; 99% of food consumed in London is imported, and only 1% of the city’s food supply is local farming and production.
To get a better understanding of why only 1% of London’s food is local farming and
production, I talked to John Letts, a farmer, archaeo-botanist, plant breeder, and the founder of the Heritage Grain Trust. John did research into Medieval farming, heritage grain, and sustainable grain at Oxford University and the University of Reading.
His research journey sprouted from his passion regarding the change in the way farmers are currently farming, saying “modern farming is worse-off and is harming the world we live in.” He then continued on to “develop a clover-based cropping system that would allow [him] to grow crops naturally with no herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides,” which are the main aspects of modern farming that are destroying our food. “Undersowing with clover, and leaving all residues on the ground, provides all the fertility and organic matter” that his crops need in order to survive. Clover-based cropping is a sustainable farming practice that uses clover as a crop to improve soil quality, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.
John found that this method helps his crops grow larger compared to the average modern farmer who is using chemical fertilizers. Clover-based cropping also provides year-round ground cover in the maize fields, protecting the healthy soil, which allows him to grow crops during the harsh winters of London, so at the end of the day, John is able to harvest significantly more crops than the average farmer.
I asked him why more farmers weren’t utilizing clover-based farming if it allows them to grow a significantly higher amount of crops without the use of chemicals. He responded that farmers in London are slowly trying to incorporate it, but because it takes up so much land space, and they’re hesitant to completely switch their farming methods, the implementation of this method is a lot slower than he would like.
If farmers aren’t all able to make sustainable changes to their farming, then how can I, an average consumer, help in this aspect? We are the ones consuming the food after all.
I voiced my concerns to John and he replied with “for now, the best thing a young person can do is learn as much as possible about the problems, and try to find their way through the greenwash and media manipulation, so that when the time comes they can have a greater impact, and can enjoy their food knowing their choices are helping the planet and not helping to destroy it.”
At the end of our conversation, he recommended two books that “changed the direction of [his] life & studies,” which are Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe of the Food First Institute, and How the other half dies by Susan George. Though I haven’t had the chance to pick them up or read them just yet, I thought I would share the recommendations of a sustainable farmer. Just some food for thought.
