Report of 16 January 2025 Public Meeting
Our first guest speaker of 2025 is Milly Fyfe, a farmer, social entrepreneur and award-winning communicator based in Yelvertoft. Milly gave us a very insightful overview of food sustainability and security. Milly’s slides can be seen here1, and a recording of the meeting is on YouTube2.
There are two events coming up this Saturday – a More Trees Now tree harvest and a talk on composting and food waste in West Hunsbury. For details of these and other events, see our What's On page3.
Present: Alison Barlow, Leonie Beale, Alexina Cassidy, Julie Fagan, David Garlick, Rupert Knowles, Maria Lee, Mick Lorkins, Alan Mawer, Harry Mellor, Jean Troy, Eleanor Watterson, Jane Wood, Jazmine Hiscock
Apologies: Eluned Nicholls, Clare Slater, Clare Robertson-Marriott, Mick Lorkins, Claudine Howard, Stephen Clarke, Teresa Cox
Introduction
Milly founded a Community Interest Company (CIC), No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents4, 2 years ago. This came about during the pandemic as she was sharing recipes and life on the farm – what was in season, digging up vegetables, collecting eggs. On the farm they have Gloucester Old Spot pigs, cows and grow wheat and barley. They produce meat from the pigs and cows, with most of their feed grown on the farm, and the wheat and barley straw used for animal bedding, so it is quite a closed system with low food miles. Their animals go just a few miles to Joseph Morris butchers at South Kilworth and the meat is distributed through their shops and to local pubs and restaurants.
Milly is involved with a number of other organisations including the Sustainable Food Networks in West Northants and North Northants as a farmer rep. Prior to getting married and then setting up the CIC she had leadership roles in agriculture including national chair of Young Farmers. Milly has received a few awards locally and nationally – for example the Northants Food & Drink Award for local food hero, and the Small Business Britain entrepreneurship awards as one of the top 100 females in small business in the UK. She is also a volunteer presenter on NLive radio, presenting a food and farming show where she aims to promote food and farming businesses around the area and celebrate what’s going on locally.
Food sustainability
Part 1 – Understanding the problem
Part 2 – What are the solutions
Are we Food Vulnerable and what does this mean?
Access – the ability to physically obtain food, affected by mobility, availability of transport and proximity of shops. Examples:
· Rural villages may have no local shop
· Elderly and disabled people may not be able to get to shops or markets due to mobility/transport issues
· Households in urban food deserts where retail outlets don’t offer fresh produce and are dominated by processed food
Availability – can be affected by climate change related events as well as geo-political issues, meaning there is insufficient supply of some foods on the market. Examples:
· Shortage of eggs during the avian flu outbreak in 2022. Shortages in UK market can result in produce being imported that is of lower welfare standards
· Disruptions in food imports due to Brexit or global conflicts
· Seasonal challenges like drought affecting harvests
Affordability – families on low incomes may not be able to afford fresh produce, especially if they live in an area where retail choices are limited.
Examples:
· Rising prices of fresh fruit and veg make it difficult for families on low incomes to afford balanced meals
· Budget constraints result in households having to rely on cheap processed food
· The growing demand for food banks and food larders reflects that people are not able to afford all the food they need even if it is available
Rural vs Urban food security
There may be additional strains in rural areas due to the higher cost of transport, partly because of having to travel further to get to shops. Funding and resources is frequently focused on cities and towns where there is a high level of deprivation. However, the need still exists in rural areas, with less choice of shops and higher prices.
Effects of climate change on food and prices
Weather extremes such as flooding and drought affect farming, which is a high-risk business with sometimes very short weather windows e.g. for harvesting wheat. Yields are impacted by changes in the weather.
Regenerative farming practices such as improving soil quality are now being encouraged. Energy and transport emissions and miles travelled also need to be considered.
Seasons are changing - recently we have had huge temperature variations in the course of a few days which can be very challenging to farmers with livestock. Very wet weather last year meant some fields couldn’t be planted. Using imported feedstuffs to make up for lower harvest at home has cost impacts, as well as increasing emissions.
Can we source locally?
There are many benefits to sourcing food locally - supporting local farmers and businesses and eating seasonal produce as well as cutting emissions. It can be a challenge to meet the demands and expectations of consumers now that people can order anything to arrive almost instantly. Food looks different, as people eat a lot more processed food and less whole food. Schemes such as ‘wonky veg’ have had some success as people realise how much is wasted due to not being perfect.
It isn’t always easy for farmers to sell direct to consumers – a shop requires paying staff and other expenses. Milly sells eggs and sausages but people have to knock at the door as sausages are in the freezer. They also sell half or whole pigs for the freezer but people don’t have such big freezers or eat a roast dinner as much as they used to. Another option is to sell to pubs who like the local provenance.
Can we eat more sustainably?
This means reducing waste, eating more whole food and eating more seasonally. People have moved away from preparing food from scratch – Milly’s CIC focuses on this and aims to let people know that food doesn’t need to be ‘Instagram perfect’ or fiddly to prepare.
Milly has put together a fact sheet1 about peas, which are the ultimate superfood! In comparison to, for example, avocados which are not climate friendly, as they use a huge amount of water and are shipped across the world. The UK is 90% self-sufficient in peas, which are frozen within 90 minutes of harvesting so goodness is retained. Try smashed peas instead of avocado on toast – more climate friendly and more nutritious too, with less saturated fat, more iron, more Vit C and more protein. Using frozen peas means less food waste as you only use what you want each time.
How to eat more sustainably – a diet with lots of whole food such as fruit, veg, pulses, nuts and local meat. Milly is a fan of preserving, pickling and freezing to make the most of produce. Food waste at home can also be reduced by not buying more than you need and making meals stretch.
Do we know how to cook anymore?
There has been a decline in cooking skills – partly to do with the increased availability of ready meals and takeaways. There is a gap in cooking skills for younger generations as cooking taught in schools is now more about assembling a meal rather than cooking from scratch.
Many studies and surveys have been published about diet related illnesses. Part of the motivation for No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents is that 1 in 6 children now start primary school with obesity, jumping to 1 in 4 at secondary school.
Practical Solutions
Growing your own food is a big part of reducing reliance on ultra processed food (UPF) and being more food secure. Milly grows her own veg, is an ambassador for a Northamptonshire healthy living project, Grow Cook Eat, and works with the local primary school. She has established a seed library in the village so people can share surplus seeds – this consists of a big plastic lunchbox outside their gate where people can drop off and pick up seeds, so it's very simple.
A practical way to support British farmers is to buy British sugar. It’s a bugbear to go to meetings and see sachets of Tate & Lyle sugar, made from cane sugar and shipped from central America. The UK has a thriving sugar beet industry under the Silver Spoon brand, made from beet grown within 28 miles of the factory. The by products are all made use of too so there is no waste.
Practical solutions are about sharing information to encourage and inspire, rather than blaming people for not knowing. This is the principle behind the CIC - Milly played a video about this6. She interviews producers, shares recipes and provides resources which can be downloaded.
Who We Help
· Parents, with easy-to-follow recipe ideas
· Farmers, by promoting British produce. There is a high level of poor mental health in farming so shining a light on the good work in the British farming industry plays a part in improving morale too
· Schools and other youth organisations (Scouts, Beavers etc), bringing groups to the farm for education
· Corporates, offering employee wellness days. Milly has a smoothie bike with a pedal powered blender – fun way to make a healthy treat. These can be frozen and are great for keeping children hydrated and to use up fruit that might be past its best. Corporate events help to raise money for the CIC.
Countryside Kitchen Classroom
Milly has been fundraising to establish a classroom on the farm, which she is aiming to open this summer. The plan is to offer interactive sessions as part of the Grow Cook Eat project, providing hands on learning about cooking, preserving, food sustainability and making healthier choices. Currently getting the classroom set up to make it accessible and welcoming.
She is also establishing a small farmer co-operative so there will be a shop alongside the classroom. The shop will provide an outlet for the items they sell at the gate and for products from other local farmers.
They are also planning to have another polytunnel for growing and want to get support with that.
If you feel inspired to help get the classroom up and running, Milly is looking for:
· Help with fundraising and grant applications
· Donations of equipment - there is a list of what is needed1
· Introductions to potential donors and sponsors
Also please promote and talk about the project, and look at the website3, try out the recipes, and watch the interviews with local producers – maybe try their produce too.
Call to action
· Buy local
· Advocate for sustainable initiatives and instigate new habits such as buying seasonally
· Register interest in the Countryside Kitchen Classroom when the website is up and running. CA-WN can arrange an evening outing there.
Q&A
Can you see any prospect that West Northants can start an Agroforestry project or an Agrivoltaics project?
Not aware of any plans. The main thing would be to consider how this might be funded. Sadly council-owned farms where more innovative solutions like this could have been trialled have mostly been sold off.
Have you applied to Local Health Authority for funding as they are often interested in the health benefits of better eating?
Will look into that.
Recommendation to watch the Royal Institution Christmas lectures by Dr Chris van Tulleken which talk about food and nutrition in an accessible and entertaining way6.
From a climate change perspective there is a lot of discussion about the need to reduce emissions from agriculture including use of nitrates and phosphates on farms.
Farming is a long-term business - on the farm they have worked closely with Anglian Water and other water companies. Obviously, it’s not desirable for fertilisers and other expensive inputs to wash away rather than be taken up by the crop. Research is going on into crops that have different resistance to pests and diseases to reduce requirement for pesticides etc. Products are expensive to put on so farmers would rather use less if possible.
There is development of agricultural machinery powered by hydrogen or electricity, though the range and need to charge electric vehicles is a potential issue for farmers.
Farmers sometimes seem like scapegoats and we all need to bear in mind that there are others with very large carbon footprints such as the ultra-wealthy who fly everywhere.
In relation to waste food, it's important to be aware that whereas the natural process of food breaking down only gives off CO2 which is effectively circular as the plants absorb CO2 when growing, whereas food put in to landfill breaks down in anaerobic conditions and gives off methane.
Milly attended a composting master class today and is looking into hot composting to enable a wider range of food waste to be composted more quickly.
Are you looking at no till methods, cover crops, or agroforestry?
They already do direct drilling which means no ploughing. They also put in cover crops for the winter to improve biodiversity and soil quality, including a trial of chicory which the sheep really enjoyed. No plans to try agroforestry but they do put new trees into the hedgerows and lay hedges. They also have wild flower strips and the Grand Union canal runs through the farm, which also wraps around a woodland managed by the Woodland Trust.
Milly interviewed a Welsh farmer on her podcast, and they discussed the controversial 10% target set for tree cover by the Welsh government.
Have you measured the quality of the soil to see if there is a difference from the changes?
No not yet, though have had agronomists come round to test soil PH.
DONM
Thursday 20 February with speaker Niall Toru, Senior Lawyer at Friends of the Earth talking about how they have challenged fossil fuel projects in the UK.
References
1. Milly’s slides, plus her fact sheet on peas and list of equipment to donate to the Countryside Kitchen, can be downloaded here https://ca-wn.org/MemberDocs/Milly-CA-WN-Presentation.zip
2. https://youtu.be/DVAXSiwA8to
3. https://exchange.ca-wn.org/whats-on/
4. https://www.nofussmealsforbusyparents.com/
5. No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJVqjsLzMB0
6. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b00pmbqq/royal-institution-christmas-lectures