Having worked on technical and programming issues related to bio-diverse food systems since the 1970s, I am comfortable in saying that the “what” is known. The ongoing key challenge is the “how.”
The food insecure are focused on what they will eat today. Not next week or next month, today. Subsistence farming households, which are increasingly managed by women, endeavor to set up flexible resilient ,bio-diverse, polyculture food production systems for their daily survival. These survival systems are designed to operate in fragile and fluid food environments and therefore need to function in the face of multiple acute and chronic threats including weather extremes, a wide range of conflicts, pandemics, economic shocks, etc.
The two briefs attached were produced for the European Parliament. They present practical examples from the field as to why priority must be given urgently to the rebuilding /expansion of local food systems. Vulnerable food insecure farming families have their bio-diverse food production systems on full display showing what is important to them. Promoting a local food system policy means using a bottom-up approach. The brief highlights examples of how the approach is applied by households in a variety of situations to ensure their food security. The key to achieving a meaningful impact in the short and long term is to redouble efforts to listen and appreciate the local knowledge, skills, and wisdom of those who farm to survive. This approach not only acknowledges the resilience of these communities but also underscores the significance of community-driven solutions.
Paul Sommers