Pam Warhurst: How we can eat our landscapes

Summary

In Todmorden, a small market town in northern England, a community-driven movement called 'Incredible Edible' is transforming public spaces through food. From turning car parks into vegetable beds to teaching local children about agriculture, the initiative promotes sustainability, local food production, and community engagement. The movement, which began as a simple idea around a kitchen table, has sparked a global response. It empowers individuals of all ages and backgrounds to take personal responsibility for their environment, creating a kinder, more resilient future through small, collaborative actions.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Incredible Edible movement in Todmorden transforms public and unused spaces into edible gardens, promoting sustainability and community involvement.
• 😀 The initiative revolves around three key plates: community, learning, and business, each aimed at fostering local resilience and engagement.
• 😀 The movement began with small, volunteer-led actions like herb gardens and vegetable beds, which have grown into a larger global phenomenon.
• 😀 The power of small, local actions is emphasized, showing how these actions can create lasting change without large-scale funding or government intervention.
• 😀 Community engagement and inclusivity are core to the project, with the motto 'If you eat, you're in' to encourage participation across all demographics.
• 😀 Local businesses have benefited from the initiative, with some seeing increased sales after participating in the Incredible Edible campaign.
• 😀 The movement also focuses on education, partnering with local schools to teach agricultural skills and promote sustainable farming practices.
• 😀 An important aspect of the project is 'vegetable tourism,' where visitors come to explore the edible landscapes and contribute to local awareness.
• 😀 The project demonstrates how public spaces can be reimagined to serve multiple purposes, such as promoting food security, fostering community, and supporting local economies.
• 😀 The success of the Todmorden project has inspired over 30 towns in England and numerous communities worldwide to adopt similar models for urban agriculture and local sustainability.
• 😀 The speech encourages local governments and schools to support grassroots movements and create policies that integrate sustainable food practices into public spaces and curricula.

Q & A

What is the 'Incredible Edible' movement about?

The 'Incredible Edible' movement is about transforming public spaces into edible gardens, promoting local food production, and fostering community engagement. It aims to make towns more self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable through small, collaborative actions.

How did the project start in Todmorden?

The project began with a group of people in Todmorden sitting around a kitchen table, brainstorming ways to engage the community in food-related activities. They created a simple plan centered around three key concepts: community, learning, and business, all interconnected through food.

What role does food play in the movement?

Food is the central unifying language of the 'Incredible Edible' movement. It cuts across age, income, and culture, encouraging people to think differently about how they interact with their environment and resources.

What types of spaces have been transformed into edible gardens?

Spaces such as the corner of a station car park, front gardens, public areas, and even cemeteries have been transformed into edible gardens, allowing people to grow and pick their own food.

How does the project engage the younger generation?

The project partners with local schools, offering students hands-on learning experiences like building aquaponics systems and working in market gardens. It also creates opportunities for students to gain qualifications and skills related to agriculture and food production.

What is the 'Incredible Edible Green Route'?

The 'Incredible Edible Green Route' is a walking route through Todmorden that showcases edible gardens, bee-friendly sites, and local food-related businesses. The aim is to change people's behaviors by encouraging them to walk through the town and engage with the local food ecosystem.

How did the movement impact local businesses?

Local businesses saw an increase in sales due to community engagement and support for locally grown products. For example, by promoting local eggs through a campaign, farmers increased their production, leading to greater local food sales.

What was the 'Every Egg Matters' campaign?

The 'Every Egg Matters' campaign encouraged people to buy local eggs by mapping out locations where residents could purchase eggs directly from farmers. This campaign helped boost the local egg market and encouraged farmers to increase their flocks.

Why is the movement considered replicable?

The movement is replicable because it is based on simple, community-driven actions that do not require large budgets or complex bureaucratic systems. It has been successfully adopted in other towns and countries, demonstrating that small actions can lead to significant local change.

How does the local government support the 'Incredible Edible' movement?

The local government has supported the movement by creating an asset register of unused land for community gardening, offering licenses for food projects, and encouraging its workforce to help maintain these spaces. This collaboration has helped mainstream the initiative.