3.2 Collective action

There are many ways of taking back some control of our food system, from acting with your family and community to eat more locally, to helping educate young people about food, to getting involved in ethical and community businesses that create real alternatives.

The Local Action on Food network brings together anyone who wants to work towards transforming the security and sustainability of our food. Its magazine Rhubarb gives a glimpse of the many projects and actions happening right now, from the Campaign for Real Bread to the Local Food Links scheme in Dorset, which is a community-based catering enterprise producing 3000 school meals a week using mainly organic and local ingredients

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a way of reconnecting to our food and supporting the farmers who produce it. It is based on the principle of individuals, families and communities buying shares of the harvest up front, guaranteeing a fair price for the farmer. Many CSA schemes also involve a social element, with supporters getting involved in planning what crops will be grown and in some cases even helping to harvest or process foods. One of the earliest and most well-known CSA schemes in the UK is Stroud Community Agriculture.

Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a CSA network that links organic farmers and smallholders with people who want to learn more about farming and have new experiences reconnecting to the land. It is a non-monetary exchange scheme whereby, in return for help on the farm, WWOOFers are given food and accommodation. There are around 400 host farms in the UK and an extensive network all over the world.

The Transition movement is one in which communities all over the world are coming together to tackle the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil. Our food is often at the top of the list of how we can tackle these challenges. Not least this is because of its huge contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, but also because most of our food is produced using oil and natural gas – for pesticides and fertilizers, farm machinery, processing material for animal feeds, food transport and dealing with our food waste. Oil and gas are finite resources and vulnerable to fluctuations in global supply and demand, so tying our food system to them undermines the security of our supply. Transition communities are setting up food groups to bring local creativity to these challenges. You can see whether your community is already participating by consulting the Transition Network list of official initiatives.

If your community isn't already engaged, then you might like to find out how you could get some friends together to kick-start your own initiative by reading the Transition Initiatives Primer.