PLUGGING IN TO OUR FOOD SYSTEM

Here I go again delving into the imagination of what can happen if the food system breaks down. With the uncertainty of world events, energy costs etc. I am even hearing about food rationing. Imagine if this became a thing again… where would  you get your food? Who would cope better?
 
Shortening the supply chain for organic food is an issue we work around a lot at The Urban Co-op. Is there enough supply and demand for organic? We see ourselves in the middle a lot talking to both sides…. How do you connect both?
 
Recently we have worked with Digital Futures Lab at the Kemmy Business School to explore digital solutions to improve the aspect of short supply chains. With a room full of students sitting at the tables in the hotel I did notice the cans of monster sitting in front of some students. (One could argue it is a student accessory..!). While the task was put before the students to come up with digital solutions for this problem I wondered did they actually know what the problem was? How did they understand short supply chains? I asked the question how many ordered their food from Just Eat, Deliveroo etc.. Half put up their hands. Here is the thing. It doesn’t take long to disconnect from your food supply if you become very used to ordering it in. Do the younger generation, growing up on a convenient digital platform of support understand the background of how it all works? What if the digital support stops..? Where to next?
 
We asked the group to organize a meal using food they sourced locally themselves. Where you have to think about where to get the food. As I type I wonder what the outcome will be. Will there be a moment of clarity that this is not as straightforward as they think. Deprivation can be a great teacher. Like fasting, the mind clears. Maybe we need the challenge of food rationing to reorganize ourselves again. The spirit of co-operation will be very welcome then! 

​Anne Maher