Meet the revolutionaries behind Bristol’s food movement

Bristol’s local food movement today is a force to be reckoned with, but it wasn’t always the case.

When activists first introduced the idea of local food in the 1980’s, it was an alien concept met largely with confusion.

Back then, according to Helena Norberg-Hodge and Anja Lyngbaek of global network Local Futures, people were more concerned with pesticides.

The organics movement was growing but food miles was not in the lexicon and, says Helena, “People couldn’t understand why local was important.”

Helena founded Local Futures after witnessing the impact of globalisation on farmers in Ladakh – photo: Local Futures

Helena, a pioneer of the movement that suggests the key to health and happiness lies in localised systems, was living in the Indian region of Ladakh where she witnessed the devastating impact of industrialisation on farming.

“Small farmers and local food economies were being destroyed,” she remembers.

“Huge industries were pulling people away from farming to produce ‘our stuff’ – clothes, refrigerators, everything, in slave-like conditions.”

Helena and Anja, her intern at the time, began work to raise awareness of the issue from her flat in Bristol.

“It was all very new then,” reflects Anja.

“People didn’t realise how much that centralised distribution system was eating up the money both from the farmers and the consumers. Farmers were being pitted against each other and having their prices dropped down by the supermarkets to below production costs.

“The only affordable food available was junk food that is subsidised, invisibly, so it ends up cheaper than food from down the road.

“And it’s still the story now.”

Helena says tax subsidies for largescale infrastructure, roads and production, including factory farms, mean small, diverse farms miss out.

“It’s a problem that people think to solve this we need to be willing to spend more on food. It appears elitist to be concerned about high quality farming and food.

“But of course everybody would prefer to have their taxes support healthy, organic, local food.”

Anja at work with George Ferguson in 2018 – photo: Marcelo Bezerra Cavalcanti / Local Futures

The pair worked tirelessly from their Bristol base to galvanise support for local systems.

They initially worked with Alistair Sawday, Patrick Holden of the Sustainable Food Trust and the Soil Association, all still active in Bristol’s sustainability scene.

A veg box scheme was one of the first initiatives, along with community agriculture scheme at a local primary school and publication of a booklet, Linking Farmers and Consumers, and a book, Local Harvest.

They helped establish the UK’s first farmer’s market in Bath, laying the foundation for future work creating markets across the world from Japan to Argentina to Los Angeles.

Anja embarked on a roadshow aiming to bring consumers and producers together, developing materials with the International Society for Ecology and Culture which formed the basis of the UK’s first, and ultimately award-winning, local food programme.

“It was very, very exciting times because no one was doing it!” she says.

Helena and Local Futures have produced many books on local food and the benefits of localisation – photo: Local Futures

Fast forward to today, and Anja is excited by progress that has been made. She cites the many organisations taking part in the Planet Local summit in Bristol with local food on the agenda – such as the Mazi Project that works with underprivileged young people to improve equal access to local, sustainable food.

“It’s really inspiring. In the grassroots things have really been changing,” she affirms.

“We now need to change legislation so those initiatives can multiply and we can reclaim our food systems.”

Helena agrees.

“I’m very lucky to have been involved in the grassroots,” she says.

“Everyday I get good news. There are so many projects that show what’s possible.

“Once you start paying attention to the small and local, you feel inspired and energised, with hope for both human and ecosystem transformation.”

Anja sees grassroots action as a balm for feelings of powerlessness in the face of climate emergency.

“It’s healing, keeping you going in depressing times of crisis, as we’re living through now,” she says.

Local food systems can provide inspiration and empower people to help build an ecologically-sound future.

“Bristol can be very proud,” says Helena, on the strength of the city’s local food movement.

“But there is need for the bigger picture to help people understand that if they care about climate, plastic pollution, microplastics in our body, pesticides – there’s a multiple win-win-win with local food. It’s one of the best things to focus on.

“Going local embraces diversity, transcends divisions and is grounded in genuine democratic involvement.”

The Planet Local summit takes place in Bristol from September 29-October 1. For more information and to book tickets visit planet-local-summit.localfutures.org

Main photo: Local Futures

This piece of independent journalism is supported by The Extra Mile and the Bristol24/7 public and business membership.

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