The food supply chain is broken. Here are the steps you can take to fix it yourself.
The food supply chain was a well-oiled machine that was humming blissfully in the background and most people never gave it a second thought. Everything a consumer needed was available online or in-store and life was good. Until it wasn’t.
Fast forward to 2023, when governments around the world brought economies to a screeching halt for two years.
This had a massive impact on global supply chains, and we are still feeling the effects of it to this day. A great number of vulnerabilities were exposed, including the production backlog and an increase in fuel and energy, which created artificial shortages that continue to drive up food costs.
These ripple effects have made local food security a hot topic, and for good reason. It is the best, if not the only way, for individuals or communities to hedge their bets against inflation, while also offering the opportunity to produce affordable, fresh, and high-quality organic produce.
Focusing on local food security is the best way of reconnecting to our food supply, and taking the time to think about the following questions:
• Where does our food come from?
• How was it grown/cultivated?
• Who is the producer?
These three questions have escaped the modern consumer for decades. I have given this a lot of thought. Having visited local homesteads that follow permaculture practices, it’s clear that all the produce is superior both in variety and flavour.
Based on this, and many other factors, I am convinced that a combination of homesteading and permaculture (which I refer to as PermaSteading) is the way of the future.
With food inflation going up by 20% + and winter looming, the Lords of Darkness at Eskom are sure to double down on load-shedding, leading to higher inflation.
Cue the annoying sound of that generator...RRRRRRRRRR!!!
If you are entirely reliant on supply chains for fresh produce and basic food items, you will be the most vulnerable to inflation and other price increases. That’s because the length of a supply chain directly correlates with the price of goods. The longer the chain, the more expensive the items. On the other hand, a localized supply chain cuts out all these logistical, labour, storage and packaging costs, ensuring that the produce is fresh and retains the most nutrients and flavour.
If the current supply chain is broken, has the time not come to build a superior local supply chain? If you go about this as an individual, it can be daunting. So ideally, you want this to be a community project as this approach will -track the process by breaking the supply chain into smaller parts.
This is exactly what my local food security project, Cape Food Forest, intends to accomplish, and we are sharing this information with everyone in the community to generate support for this, thereby creating a catalyst and knowledge base for food security projects.
In only one year, I have grown enough vegetables for about 50% of the consumption of a household of three and I’ve already learned so much!
With the addition of chickens, lawn conversion to a garden, and a bit of indoor growing, I am one step closer to food freedom.
Here is the low-hanging fruit (pun intended) to get you started. I will write a second article where I cover a sustainable non-profit model that we are working on for greater impact.
Community Ownership
Each member of the community can be assigned a dedicated task that they should take ownership of. Let's refer to them as growers. In turn, they can recruit volunteers who assist them with various tasks.
My suggestion is to incentivize growers and volunteers by giving them produce proportional to the time spent in the garden. Excess produce can be sold/bartered locally or at a farmer’s market. The revenue will then be used to cover the costs of buying tools and seeds, while also funding future expansion. While this is a serious undertaking, you must also remember to have fun and use this as an opportunity to bond with your community and educate people on the importance of food security. This is a great way of teaching young folk about the practical benefits of science and biology.
Grow Space and Local Lore
There are always gardeners and commercial growers in the area that can help you get started and have a ton of advice, tools, growing gear and local growing conditions. Tap into their wisdom and include them in these initiatives.
In my opinion, lawns are overrated. Keep enough lawn for a picnic or for the kids to play on and convert the rest into a lush food forest. Explore your neighborhoods for additional growing space. That's how we found more growing options. Many people have space they don’t use. Also, speak to local farmers or plot owners and reach a mutually beneficial agreement by
Communal Composting
Create a communal compost bin that will produce loads of black gold aka compost. I recommend three to start with (one for nitrogen and another for carbon-based materials, plus one bin to mix), and mix the carbon and nitrogen at a ratio of 25 -35: 1.
Living Soil
Once your compost is sorted, it’s time to work it into the soil. I recommend composting generously twice a year during autumn and spring. Living soil increases water retention and contains microbes that are beneficial for your plants. This will enable you to grow nutrient-dense produce that is packed with flavour!
Heirloom Seedbank
Seed saving will be critical for the success of your project and there is something very satisfying about preserving and increasing your collection of heirloom seed varieties.
Seedbanks can be decentralized or stored in a centralized location; I would keep spare seeds at another location just in case as a backup.
Here are a few benefits of establishing a seed bank.
Lower the cost of seeds annually.
You can use your surplus seeds to barter with other seed banks or seed savers.
Preventing the loss of genetic diversity and the disappearance of local seed varieties
Generating seed that is adapted to thrive in the soils and climate of your region.
Increasing access to seed for all, but especially for first-time, low-income, and community-based gardeners
Educating your community on how to save seeds and connecting them to our collective history of seed as a shared public resource.
Strengthening your local food system and increasing food security, starting with seeds.
Raising awareness and mobilizing actions around seed issues such as patenting and genetic engineering.
Heirloom Nursery
Nursery planning is essential to the success of your food security program. You will need to consider the time it takes from germination to viable seedling and the quantity required.
The nursery can be centralized or decentralized ran by one person or by a few who each specialise in a specific plant species for the entire seedling life cycle. The key here is to account for plants that die off and succession planting immediately when plants get harvested. Succession planting maximizes the productivity of your grow space.
Harvesting and Preservation
Once you have a surplus, you can barter, sell or preserve. Preservation is a key strategy to ensure nothing goes to waste in your garden. This can be done using the following method based on nutrient retention ranked from high to low.
Fermentation
Freeze Drying
Dehydration
Pickling
Canning
Compensation
It is important to keep your community motivated and give them a reason to keep coming back for more. Reward your network of growers, grow space donors and volunteers with fresh produce every time you harvest to keep them invested.
The worst that can happen is you grow a dynamic range of superior produce, build community bonds, establish food security, and save some money.
If you’ve already started your local food security project please tag us, get in touch, share your thoughts and wisdom, and let’s grow together.