Improving the British food system
It has been a while since I posted here and this is because of uni just consuming all my time. Not to worry because I have some actual assignments that I can post here for you to see that I am in fact an average human with a moderate amount of brain function. Here is a environmental policy I was tasked with writing. Enjoy if this is your kinda thing.
An approach to improving the British food system
Contents
Executive summary: ……………………………………………………………….. 1
Introductions:……………………………………………………………………….. 2
The current system:…………………………………………………………………..2
a new approach:………………………………………………………………………2
Sustainable way of producing:……………………………………………………….3
Recommendations:…………………………………………………………………...4
Executive Summary
The UK is in need of reorganising its current food strategy as it has shown it is not fit for purpose when it comes to providing accessible and healthy food to the people. This is due to the industrial farming methods being used by farmers as a way to be profitable. Farmers are tied into working with multinational corporations who are able to dictate what crops are grown because they are more profitable on the international market. These corporations also syphon money out of these regions as profits don’t remain in the communities. This report recommends that the government start funding small holder farmers to adopt a more eco-friendly way of farming otherwise known as agrobiodiversity. In doing this farmers can benefit from the natural ecosystem services that stem from crop variation due to the genetic variations in the crops. Adopting agrobiodiversity also has climate change mitigating services that will help reshape the natural environment so that it is more resilient to climate change. There also needs to be funding for food hubs in food insecure areas of the country that can work with these farmers to provide cheap and healthy foods to those communities. The food hubs can also provide educational services as well as volunteer roles on the farms as a means of reconnecting people to the food process. Connecting farmers to the communities they provide for and decoupling them from corporate interests is the first step in moving to a more food secure system as well as a sustainable one.
Introduction:
The current food strategy of the UK is not able to adequately support the population of the country as well as achieve the goal of being environmentally sustainable. This report will look to address these issues and provide a path for the government to take. Currently most farmers are locked into doing business with multinational corporations so that they are able to remain operational and profitable. These corporations prioritise monoculture crops for higher profits which reduce soil fertility as well as the biodiversity of the land. Additionally this also reduces the variety of foods that could be sold to consumers locally. These crops also require large amounts of water and pesticides which may subsequently reduce the water table as well as pollute local bodies of water with run off. In addressing these issues the government would improve biodiversity and improve the food security of the nation. By adopting more sustainable farming methods the government can also reduce the negative effects of industrial farming with regards to climate change. Another benefit would be supplying British people with healthier food options which can lead to improved health and mental wellbeing in communities around the country. This will also reduce the level of poverty in areas that are food insecure as people will be able to spend money in their community which circulates profits locally.
The Current Approach
The approach of financialising food has led to increased food insecurity and biodiversity loss. The focus is taken away from producing a variety of healthy nutritious foods and focused more on producing cash crops for corporations. These become commodities that are being traded on the international market which is then prone to the volatilities of the international markets(Jehliča, 2019). This approach has far reaching consequences that are not intended but become a by product of industrial scale farming. These range from biodiversity loss, land dispossession, soil degradation, water loss which all contribute to climate change(Jehliča, 2019). Overall the current food system does not prioritise healthy food consumption or even provide healthy food to those most in need. Fast food whether that be from a corporate restaurant or the microwaveable type is clearly prioritise over the healthier alternatives(The Broken Plate ,2025, p.10)
A New Approach
This report looks to a new way of structuring local food systems that will not only benefit the people of Britain but also improve the biodiversity of the countryside. The current consensus for the food security framework has availability, access, utilisation and stability as the four pillars upholding the concept but it has become apparent that we need to add two more pillars, namely agency and sustainability(Clapp et al, 2020, p. xv).
The addition of agency means giving people more control over their food systems and for this to happen we need to give people more choices and provide ways for them to be more involved in the process of growing food(Clapp et al. 2022, p. 3). Reconnecting people to the process of growing food for themselves or their local community will provide the food security needed for regions that have no reliable access to affordable and healthy food. This concept has been researched in Leeds where food hubs have provided a convenient way for people to access healthy food(Papargyropoulou, E, et al. 2024). These food hubs have not only provided access to healthier food options but in some cases were able to educate people on the food system and get them involved in the process of growing their own food. They were able to achieve this by having access to allotments but there is scope for expanding this to small holder farmers. They were also able to boost the local economy as the money spent at some of the food hubs stayed in the community(Papargyropoulou, E, et al. 2024, p. 9). Cutting out large corporations who are profit driven and control the flow of food allows for communities to decide where that food is best distributed. An added benefit of reducing corporate interests in the food system is giving farmers more ownership over the land they live on.
Sustainable Ways of Producing
This will invariably lead to the next pillar which is sustainability as when people have more control over their own food they will endeavour to maintain a functioning system that benefits them. Another approach to sustainability is increasing crop diversification which has the benefits of providing more food types for people to consume as well as improving biodiversity (Bhagwat, S.A 2022, p. 3). The improved biodiversity leads to better ecosystems services which in turn reduces the climate change effects caused by industrial farming. Crop diversity when done responsibly can improve soil fertility and reduce the need for pesticide use which has multiple negative effects for people and the environment such as run off into water ways. Using the natural variations and cultivars of plants as a way to improve resiliencies to pests or weather conditions such as drought is a safer and more eco-friendly way to approach sustainable food growing(Bhagwat, S.A 2022, p. 4). This is known as “Agrobiodiversity” and has been a method of human agriculture for thousands of years. Agrobiodiversity leads to using a higher diversity of plants and animals in the farming process thus broadening the amount of food people have access to.
With improved crop diversity and biodiversity the ecosystem services will also increase. Services such as water absorption, natural pollination and carbon sequestration are just some of the benefits(Bhagwat, S.A 2022). This process will lead to landscape transformation and when managed well can benefit landscapes surrounding farmlands. There is evidence that forests help improve small scale farming in other parts of the world. This shows that biome diversity is connected and can benefit each other(Bhagwat, S.A 2022, p. 3). Britian may lack major forested areas but even just setting aside areas for natural vegetation can have a positive impact on the natural environment(Benton, T.G., et al. 2021). All this increases the resilience of the ecosystem to withstand climatic changes and improves the food security of the nation.
Recommendations
This report recommends that the government start a program to incentivise small scale farmers to diversify their crops. Financial support should be given to these farmers to diversify their crops and move away from industrial farming methods as well as adopt agroecological farming methods.
A food hub program should be implemented in cities around the country who can connect with local farmers to provide food to areas with food insecurity. These food hubs can have a program to get people involved in the food production process with the farmers.
Creating more allotment gardens specifically for food production in cities with a high amount of green spaces. These can then be linked in with local food banks/hubs to provide locally produced food.
Working with Biodiversity organisations there should be more incentive to maintain natural areas around the country that have the ability to improve local ecosystem services around farms.
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References: Jehliča, P. (2019) ‘Agri-food systems as an environmental issue’ in P. Jehlicka and D. Humphreys (eds) Environmental policy in an international context: book 1. Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 353-390 The Food Foundation (2025) The Broken Plate 2025. Available at https://foodfoundation.org.uk/publication/broken-plate-2025. (Accessed: 15 January 2026)
Clapp, J. et al (2020). Food Security and Nutrition: Building a Global Narrative Towards 2030. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344877437_FOOD_SECURITY_AND_NUTRITION_BUILDING_A_GLOBAL_NARRATIVE_TOWARDS_2030 (Accessed: 16 January 2026)
Clapp, J., Moseley, W.G., Burlingame, B. and Termine, P. (2022) ‘Viewpoint: the case for a six-dimensional food security framework’. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919221001445 (Accessed: 16 January)
Papargyropoulou, E, et al (2024) ‘Impact of food hubs on food security and sustainability: Food hubs perspectives from Leeds, UK’, , Food Policy, 128. Available at https://www-sciencedirect-com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0306919224001167 (Accessed: 17 January 2026)
Bhagwat, S.A (2022) ‘Catalyzing transformative futures in food and farming for global sustainability’ Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1009020/full (Accessed: 17 January 2026)
Benton, T.G., et al. (2021) 'Food system impacts on biodiversity loss;. Chatham House. Available (online) at: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/02/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss/about-authors (Accessed: 17 January 2026)