English Read our full statement yma.
The crimes taking place in Ukraine have sent shockwaves of deep sadness and uncertainty across the globe. While we don’t mean to downplay the intense suffering of those who remain within Ukraine’s borders, and those who have been forced to flee their homes, we feel that it is important to also address the imminent food crisis which is developing as a consequence of the instability and violence in the regions, as well as how best to respond.
The current global panic over food security sparked by the situation in Ukraine is a brutal reminder of the vulnerabilities which lie at the core of our globalised commodity food system; a system reliant on mass international trade, chemical inputs and fossil fuel power.
The Landworkers’ Alliance wants to be clear that now more than ever we must be pushing for food and farming systems based on the principles of agroecology and food sovereignty. Measures to improve short-term food security need not, and must not, compromise the longer-term need for environmentally sustainable and resilient food systems.
In response to calls to intensify and expand food production in the UK, we want to make it clear that the only way to meet threats to food security is to pursue and strengthen a sustainable and nature-friendly agricultural transition. Food security need not come at the expense of food sovereignty and environmental farming practices.
We therefore make the following recommendations:
1. Use UK arable land to grow crops for human consumption and nutrition; rather than for producing livestock feed, alcohol and biofuels.
2. Initiate a rapid phasing out of chemical inputs in the agriculture sector, and accelerate the transition to environmentally sustainable farming practices.
3. Strengthen resilient local and regional food systems which are not reliant on imports.
4. Put in place robust economic measures to reduce food poverty in the UK.
Read our full statement yma.
