Our Regional Food Economy project is working in the North West of England to link enterprise, education and advocacy to help build and nurture a local food economy that feeds everyone fairly and sustainably.
Our destructive, growth-reliant food system can't be sustained. Currently our food chains are dominated by large global agribusinesses and supermarkets, whose dependency on fossil fuels to produce and redistribute food across the world is contributing to climate change. We need a different model. It's time for more human scaled sustainable businesses to take their place. We want to pilot a circular food system that replenishes and supports the natural environment. Feed people, feed animals, then feed soils.
Our Regional Food Economy is built around three interconnecting objectives – Enterprise, Education and Advocacy. The heart of our project is the Enterprise. We're testing out a community supporting social enterprise that keeps food and money circulating locally – following the principles of the circular food economy in all we do. The Alchemic Kitchen is an experimental development space that takes fresh food and surplus edibles in danger of being wasted and transforms them into new products for a wholesale market. We will work with local farmers, growers and food producers; support other social enterprises and cooperatives; and work with communities to develop new skills and employment opportunities.
Find out the latest from Lucy and the team by following Alchemic Kitchen in the North West on Twitter.