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Devon’s Good Food Strategy 2023 – 2028

About the Devon Food Partnership

The Devon Food Partnership (DFP) was set up in February 2021 and became a member of Sustainable Food Places (SFP) in Summer 2021. The Partnership is a joint initiative, and its vision and development are driven by a variety of organisations to enable collaboration and open communication across the food and farming sector.

The Partnership, made up of members from all sectors and covering the whole Devon geography (including Plymouth and Torbay), aims to tackle a wide range of food themes shaped around the six key principles set out by Sustainable Food Places. The Devon Food Partnership is also part of the Devon Carbon Plan, under the Food, Land and Sea theme.

‘’Our aim is to ensure that nutritious, affordable, local, sustainably produced food is available for everyone in Devon. We support the development of a localised, sustainable food system and seek to tackle the issues of food poverty, diet-related ill health, food waste and unsustainable farming practices. Our focus is on achieving strategic step change across the county.’’

In 2021, the members of the Devon Food Partnership wrote this vision statement with the aim of promoting strategic, whole system change across the county’s food and farming sectors to ensure healthy, sustainable, and affordable food is accessible to all.

The Devon Good Food Strategy uses the Sustainable Food Places’ six key principles as a framework to encompass the key priorities within the food system and align with the Partnership vision statement. This document sets out the Strategy for 2023-2028 that was brought together through the collaboration of the membership organisations of the Partnership. For each of the six sections of this strategy, there is an outline of past and current issues, projects, and actions, as well as future ambitions. This is followed by a list of strategic priorities that the Devon Food Partnership has identified, which are summarised at the end of the document. The Partnership hopes to see action on the priorities identified in this document within the next five years and will review the progress being made annually.

Devon’s Good Food Strategy has been written to bring everyone from farmer to consumer, business owner to volunteer together across all sectors to promote collaborative working and whole system change with the objective to provide a blueprint for action moving forwards.

About Devon

Home to two National Parks, five AONB’s, a UNESCO Biosphere reserve, two World Heritage Sites, two large cities, and roughly 1.2 million people, Devon is a unique and vibrant county, rich in assets. As a result, Devon was the top performing local authority area in the Thriving Places Index Report 2019. Nonetheless, Devon faces many substantial challenges, particularly in specific geographic areas. The importance of these challenges should not be underestimated and tackling them should be a priority.

As a result of the covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent cost-of-living crisis, food insecurity has grown as a problem. Research reveals that food insecurity amongst Devon’s households has increased from 17% in Spring 2021 to 29% in Autumn 2022, with 16% of households experiencing substantial disruptions to their eating patterns. There are a huge number of voluntary and community groups and social enterprise organisations in Devon working hard to help people access healthy and affordable food. The private sector and governmental organisations have also responded to the challenges created by the cost-of-living crisis. This document highlights some of this work and encourages collaboration to help ease food insecurity in Devon.

Agriculture is the predominant land use in the county and Devon’s rural communities often face unique challenges. For instance, farmers face uncertainty about the new Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) being introduced by the government. Furthermore, climate change is anticipated to have a negative impact on food production, resulting in increases in food prices, and deepening problems around food insecurity. However, there are also huge opportunities for the agricultural sector including the adoption of new crops historically grown in warmer climates and transitioning to new and innovative methods of food production.

All of Devon’s local authorities promote food waste prevention to residents. However, a recent analysis shows 28% of residual bin waste is food, much of it avoidable. Where separately collected (by all districts except Plymouth), food waste is not sent to landfill but instead goes to an anaerobic digester where it is converted into methane gas and can be used to generate electricity or pumped directly into the gas grid; and a digestate which is used as a fertiliser on farmland. There are also many excellent initiatives across the county that are making use of surplus food so that good food gets eaten and not wasted – either by redistributing it or making meals/products out of it. Continuing to reduce food waste at each stage of the food system, from farm to fork, is essential to mitigate the environmental impact of our food.

The challenges faced by Devon’s food system require unique solutions and great work is already being done around the county to address these. Devon’s Good Food Strategy aims to highlight this work, share best practice and opportunities, and be a voice for the communities across Devon.

1. Food Governance and Strategy

Our county is rich in natural assets which offer opportunities for sustainable food production from both land and sea.  Devon is also home to a sizeable hospitality and leisure industry; providing scope to grow a vibrant sustainable food economy. However, we also have pockets of significant deprivation and inequality of access to affordable, healthy, and sustainable food. A joined-up, strategic, cross sector approach to food governance is therefore increasingly vital in ensuring a thriving future for Devon’s residents, businesses, and the natural environment.

The food system is complex, and while this strategy focusses on six key themes, it is important to recognise that there is a great deal of overlap between them, and they are highly inter-dependent. The Devon Food Partnership must therefore bring people together from across the food system, to ensure all voices are heard and promote working together towards a common goal. The Devon Food Partnership will encourage and facilitate conversation and collaboration between stakeholders across all sectors, providing opportunities for key actors in the food system to come together around a shared vision. We will seek to collect and maintain data which will help to inform future strategy and drive action to change for the better.

We will work to foster a better understanding of our food system and the risks and opportunities within it, which ultimately affect us all. The Devon Food Partnership will champion the interests of producers, businesses, and consumers at national and regional levels, promoting and encouraging initiatives which will help us to transition towards a more environmentally, socially, and economically resilient and sustainable food system.

The Partnership will work alongside anchor institutions to help them acknowledge and reconsider their role within the food system, which is significant and influential. We will encourage them to build food resilience and sustainability into their own strategies, policies, and processes by providing a platform for collaboration and to share good practice, ideas, and learning. We will champion the development of action plans and their delivery at a local level, aligned to the county-wide strategy and national recommendations, which local authorities may take a lead on.

Working together across sectors, it is possible that we can as a county make meaningful and sustainable change. However, this will take time and require consistent effort into the long-term. The Devon Food Partnership will therefore work to ensure that the network and relationships we facilitate can be supported to continue and grow into the future.

Strategic Priorities

1.1 Creating a representative and balanced network of stakeholders from across Devon’s food system
1.2 Facilitating collaborative working around a shared vision
1.3 Valuing the collective impact of incremental changes
1.4 Raising awareness of national recommendations and how these are relevant to local stakeholders, including the role they can play in delivering them
1.5 Balancing attention on environmental, social, and economic resilience and sustainability
1.6 Collecting and maintaining data to inform future strategy and action
1.7 Supporting initiatives which promote sustainable and regenerative practices
1.8 Sharing learning and best practice
1.9 Encouraging anchor institutions to consider their role in the food system
1.10 Championing the development and delivery of local action plans
1.11 Future-proofing food governance in the county for the long-term

2. Good Food Movement

bringing together individuals, organisations, and institutions to work collectively towards a vision of a sustainable food system. The Devon Food Partnership aims to nurture Devon’s good food movement by raising awareness of food issues, supporting participation in food-related activities, and collaborating across decision making institutions for policy and programme change.

Within the Partnership, there is representation from stakeholders across Devon’s food system including farmers, producers, food alliances, local food initiatives and businesses, food aid organisations, food cities, local procurement organisations, wildlife conservation bodies, and researchers, as well as links with other regional and national organisations. However, to create whole food system change, the Partnership needs to advocate and collaborate for policy and programme change, boost public engagement, and promote active food citizenship. This will involve working to change attitudes about land and food, and encouraging the consumption of local, healthy, sustainable food while providing a fair price to farmers.

Working towards a sustainable food system requires sustaining the good food movement so that it is well connected, responsive, and sharing knowledge of issues across Devon’s food system. Alongside capacity building, the good food movement needs to be public facing to enhance local food cultures in Devon. Enhancing our food culture will bring in co-benefits to the health of the community and the local economy. However, food inequality is a major barrier to promoting greater consumption of local, sustainably produced food; the Devon Carbon Plan suggests that the poorest 10% of households would need to spend 75% of their disposable income to follow the Government’s Eatwell Guide. To build a good food movement the benefits of healthy, sustainable, locally-produced food, need to be widely communicated and made more accessible.

Communication is key in encouraging public engagement. Local initiatives like Food is Fun have been very successful in engaging the public in conversations around healthy, sustainable, and locally produced food through social media. In the past, the Food for Life programme also proved to be highly successful in Devon.

Early positive childhood experiences of growing, harvesting, and tasting food play an important role in shaping children’s relationship and understanding of food. As such, improving education around food is significant in developing a good food movement. The Devon Waste Education Programme continues to work with many of Devon’s schools, educating children and school staff about the importance of composting and reducing food waste as part of the whole growing cycle. Promoting a whole school approach to food through education, procurement, catering, growing and waste can support the wider school community make healthier, more sustainable choices in line with dietary recommendations in the government’s Eatwell Guide.

Supporting access to sustainable local food is also a priority. The Partnership will support local food hubs that improve access to markets and local food projects such as Feeding Devon that develop cooking skills, promote the consumption of seasonal produce, and reconnect people with nature. Local food hubs have been set up in locations across Devon, such as Tamar Grow Local, In My Back Yard, and The Apricot Centre, and are providing innovative ways for customers to buy local food. Local Food producers and hubs are responsive to change and provided reliable access to good food during the covid-19 pandemic. However, the local food economy has been hit by the cost-of-living crisis with some producers and hubs noticing a downturn in orders. Further support of this sector, including through anchor institutions’ procurement and catering, will help to meet Devon’s goals to reach Net Zero as outlined in the Devon Carbon Plan.

Creating a social media presence is key to stimulating public engagement while also connecting communities and local food initiatives across Devon. The Partnership will establish a social media presence to highlight best practice, share help and advice, support local food initiatives, and to connect stakeholders across Devon’s food system.

Case Study: Feeding Devon

Feeding Devon is a partnership organisation that includes charities, food banks, social enterprises, and community projects. The organisation aims to bring together key stakeholders to collaborate to improve access to food crisis support across the county by providing training for volunteers, helping to distribute surplus food, and improving education about food and cooking. Feeding Devon is also working to establish a volunteer-run resilient food distribution network including pop-up food hubs to reach isolated areas and affordable food clubs to build communities around healthy, sustainable food.

Strategic Priorities

2.1 Establish a social media presence for the Partnership
2.2 Engage the public with active food citizenship
2.3 Connect organisations, individuals, communities, and initiatives around Devon
2.4 Share advice and examples of best practice, and join up Devon’s Good Food Movement
2.5 Promote programmes that improve food education and address inequality
2.6 Help scale up successful initiatives
2.7 Support stakeholders across Devon’s food system, particularly farmers, local food producers, and food hubs

3. Healthy Food for All

Across the county, households’ experience of food insecurity because of financial hardship has become a much more significant issue as a result of the covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. At the same time, community-based support has responded with traditional foodbanks and newer forms of support such as food clubs, community larders, and neighbourhood mutual aid providing essential supplies. Demand for these services continues to grow.

Our understanding of food insecurity, who it affects most, and what kinds of support are most effective and inclusive, also continues to grow. Devon has seen some pioneering research initiatives that continue to provide us with up-to-date evidence of the challenges faced. Through this work, it has become clear that food insecurity is moving from being a short-term, acute problem for most people affected to a longer-term, endemic issue.

We therefore need new models for responding to it appropriately; we need to move beyond the foodbank model and build a more resilient, long-term system of food support, which aims to address causes of the problem before it reaches crisis point. This system needs to be fully inclusive and accessible, taking into account Devon’s large number of rural communities, as well as other groups experiencing food-related inequality. We need to look at ways of supporting more diversity and choice within the system, improving overall communications, and ensuring consistency across the county. With this longer-term perspective, we also need to improve the nutritional content of accessible food.

Achieving this aim will involve working collaboratively, making the most of our collective skills, knowledge, and experience, and linking food provision with a holistic package of support, education, and advice. Schools, for example, are an important vehicle to link families with support, and education is vital to improve knowledge about healthy eating. There is work to be done in sharing good practice around cross-cutting projects that combine food provision with guidance on making healthy, sustainable meals on a budget and using seasonal produce. We recognise that ensuring access to healthy, affordable food is closely linked with other strategic priorities, both within and beyond this document, including health and diet, climate change, and poverty and deprivation.

A sustainable system will rely on stronger links between local producers and communities. The Healthy Start Scheme has been successful in beginning this work, which we need to expand. There is further potential for anchor institutions like hospitals, council buildings, and schools to be centres that promote local procurement.

A cross sectoral partnership can help develop a coherent county-wide affordable food and crisis support offer. The aim would be to provide a longer-term, more sustainable model that moves beyond immediate aid, builds resilience, and creates community food hubs.  Based on intelligence and good partnership working resources and support could then be targeted to those who most need it via these hubs.

Strategic Priorities

3.1 Promote a diversity of responses to food insecurity that supports ongoing access to affordable, healthy food
3.2 Support research strands that build our understanding of experiences and challenges relating to food insecurity
3.3 Facilitate collaboration within and between public and voluntary sector bodies to build a more resilient and consistent approach to food support
3.4 Promote education in schools and beyond about healthy, sustainable food
3.5 Support community-building and community-led food projects
3.6 Prompt local authorities and anchor institutions to consider the variety of roles they can play to improve access to healthy food

4. Sustainable Food Economy

Transforming Devon’s food system requires putting food businesses at the centre of the county’s economic development. Devon is already a stronghold for small businesses; Devonomics finds that 89% of Devon’s firms are micro-businesses and that Devon has the highest rate of self-employment in the UK. We need to support local food growers, producers, retailers, and caterers to make sustainable, healthy food the mainstream option for households around the county.

In light of international trade deals struck since the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, it is more important than ever that local food businesses are protected from unfair international competition. On a national scale, there are moves to make food labelling more transparent, only branding products as British if each of the main ingredients are wholly produced in Britain. This would allow consumers to make more informed choices about their food. Local initiatives also play an important role in supporting local businesses. For example, Made in Devon provides small businesses with expert trading standards advice and a recognisable and a trusted ‘Trading Standards Approved’ badge to encourage consumers to purchase local produce. The Partnership will continue to work with any projects or initiatives that support local food businesses.

The agricultural sector is a significant part of Devon’s rural economy. This means continuing to support farming businesses through projects such as the Future Farming Resilience programme is essential to promote sustainable food production. The Heart of the South West Growth Hub helps improve access to business support opportunities for local businesses and has recently setup a Farming and Food Resources Hub to highlight opportunities for businesses in the sector. The Partnership will continue to work with projects and initiatives like these to ensure that local food businesses get the support they need.

The Partnership will endeavour to build a network of food businesses, connecting producers with consumers and promoting the use of local, seasonal produce. By working together, local businesses can share ideas and help one another succeed. Supporting local businesses will also help rejuvenate high streets and farmers’ markets in Devon, fostering a greater sense of community.

Case Study: Future Farming Resilience (FFR)

The Future Farming Resilience project offers farmers across the Great South West support in the agricultural transition from the Direct Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to the government’s new Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) – the biggest change in the agricultural sector in a generation. This free, fully funded support includes information workshops, one-to-one tailored support, specialist workshops, and digital workshops, and is available for any farmer or land manager currently in receipt of BPS payments.

Strategic Priorities

4.1 Promote buying locally produced food from local businesses
4.2 Work with initiatives that support local food businesses, including Future Farming Resilience and the Heart of the South West Growth Hub
4.3 Continue to support farmers on the journey to carbon neutrality and increased biodiversity
4.4 Help connect food businesses and consumers around Devon
4.5 Promote initiatives such as storage facilities which ensure locally produced food is available all year round in the most sustainable way
4.6 Signposting businesses to support services and advice to ensure producers can sell at a fair price

5. Catering and Procurement

Catering and procurement are essential parts of the food system, and transformation of food procurement in Devon will result in the realisation of enormous co-benefits. Shorter supply chains help reduce food miles, stimulate the local economy, and build food security. Furthermore, better procurement also presents the opportunity to change the eating habits of people across the County and foster demand for healthy, sustainable, locally produced food.

Sustain’s Every Mouthful Counts report analyses how UK councils are performing on food, climate, and nature. The report finds that Devon is doing ‘commendably well,’ including an above average rating on food procurement. However, food price inflation, recruitment issues, and other financial pressures mean that the progress made so far is at risk. We need to make sure that this progress is protected and that successes at a council level are replicated across Devon’s food system.

Anchor institutions such as hospitals, local authorities, and schools have a particularly important role to play. By virtue of their size and significant role in people’s lives, these institutions can influence the quality of food people eat. As such, further work needs to be done to engage with key anchor institutions and encourage them to purchase healthy, sustainable food from local suppliers.

The Public Procurement of Food in the South West research report from the Centre for Rural Policy Research at the University of Exeter finds that, despite growing interest, there are still significant barriers to developing a more local and regional approach to food procurement. The report offers the following recommendations:

  1. Drive culture change, within and between, public organisations in the South West
  2. Make public procurement more accessible to regional producers and suppliers in the South West
  3. Support farmer focussed supply chains in the South West
  4. Continue to develop the South West as a test bed for national change, share findings with government and other regions, and lobby government for changes to procurement processes

The DFP will encourage action on these recommendations and help highlight the benefits of shorter supply chains.

Case Study: South West Food Hub

The South West Food Hub is a community interest company working to shorten food supply chains and open up public sector procurement to local small and medium sized producers. The Hub is currently working with Dynamic Purchasing UK (DPUK) to develop dynamic food procurement in the region. This involves creating an online platform wherein SMEs can sell directly to public sector institutions. Public institutions need to be encouraged to purchase food through the South West Food Hub and, eventually, through the dynamic food procurement system to ensure food purchased is as local, healthy, and sustainable as possible.

Strategic Priorities

5.1 Maximise opportunities for purchasing locally and sustainably produced food
5.2 Support organisations that improve access to market for smaller SME farmers, growers and food manufacturers
5.3 Support and encourage action on the recommendations of the Public Procurement of Food in the South West research report
5.4 Improve awareness of the benefits and opportunities presented by shortening supply chains

6. Food for the Planet

Farming accounts for 75% of Devon’s land use and is inextricably linked to many of our most cherished and economically important landscapes. However, food and farming’s ecological impact is mixed, with some great examples of excellent, innovative, and environmentally sustainable practice but other areas where improvements are needed. Fishing is equally important to Devon’s coastal communities, Brixham and Plymouth being two of the busiest fishing ports in the UK. However, as with farming, the contribution to ecology is mixed, with some examples of good practice but others, such as bottom trawling, leading to widespread habitat destruction.

The Devon Food Partnership is part of the Devon Carbon Plan, which sets out the steps that need to be taken to help Devon achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. In 2020, agriculture, forestry, and other land use accounted for 24% of Devon’s greenhouse gas emissions, caused primarily by the application of manure and other organic fertilisers as well as chemical fertiliser to land and from the digestion of food by cattle and sheep. While many farm practices play a crucial role in conserving Devon’s wildlife, others, such as the widespread use of pesticides, have played a major role in its decline. To reach net-zero emissions, we need to transition to more sustainable farming and food production methods by reducing emissions from manures and wastes, reducing inputs, improving carbon storage, and biodiversity recovery. Similarly for the fishing industry, marine habitats and fish stocks need to recover, and marine sediments and blue carbon stores can play an enhanced role in carbon sequestration. The Devon Food Partnership will continue to support the Devon Carbon Plan’s pledge to reach net-zero and will promote its recommendations to all parts of the food system

For this transition to a more sustainable food system to be successful, it is essential that Devon’s farmers, growers, and fishers are on board and the transition benefits their businesses. It is also essential that there are clear targets for improving environmental outcomes, well targeted support systems, and effective regulation in place. First and foremost, farmers need to be able to access advice and support on how to improve sustainability and what the move from the Basic Payment Scheme to the new Environmental Land Management Schemes will mean for them. Devon is well served by farm advice, with local projects such as Future Farming Resilience already helping to provide support, while the national Farm Carbon Toolkit helps guide farmers through the process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Teams of advisors employed by NGOs such as the Devon Wildlife Trust and the Westcountry Rivers Trust provide many farmers with free advice as to how to improve soils, enhance biodiversity, and reduce water pollution. However, there are gaps in provision, and it is not always straightforward for farmers to access the advice they need.

We need to recognise the environmental benefits that many farms already bring, including carbon storage, and ensure that those farmers are fairly remunerated for those benefits. Agricultural subsidies play a key role in rewarding farmers for environmentally sustainable practice and should be straightforward to administer and set at a realistic rate for the benefits delivered. It is also important to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for products that are sustainably produced. The Partnership can help do this by connecting farmers with the relevant initiatives and organisations and promoting local procurement.

As discussed previously in the strategy, the Partnership will promote the Government’s dietary recommendations outlined in the Eatwell Guide which are designed to help people get a balance of healthier and more sustainable food. Eating a diet in line with the Eatwell Guide has an appreciably lower environmental impact than the current UK diet. The Partnership aims to play a key role in communication and education improving understanding about, and access to, sustainable, healthy food. For example, supporting grow, cook, eat and compost programmes around Devon can help consumers re-engage with food that is both healthy and sustainably produced.

Key to making Devon’s food system more sustainable is reducing food waste in all parts of the food system. Initiatives such as Love Food Hate Waste, promoted by Recycle Devon, are instigating behavioural change by providing households with resources about reducing food waste through food management techniques like portion control, batch cooking, meal planning, food storage tips, understanding date labels, and making good use of leftovers. There are also many community-lead initiatives including food hubs, community fridges and larders, and community kitchens which help redistribute surplus food. Supporting local groups and fostering collaboration is key to reducing the environmental impact of the food system.

Work also needs to be done to tackle food waste from farms and other businesses. Using locally sourced compost and digestate on farms is important to complete the growing cycle and reduce inputs. Furthermore, it is important that the farming community is supported to reduce waste, for example, by working with supermarket buyers to accept less than perfect produce. Where appropriate, businesses should be signposted to advice about reducing food waste, such as that provided by the government-backed charity WRAP.

The food sector and communities will also need to increase their resilience to the impacts of climate change, such as the repercussions for agriculture of increased flooding, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires. These hazards will pose challenges across the food system. For instance, caterers’ supply chains, staff, and infrastructure may be affected. Changes to practices will be needed including crop and breed choices, the provision of shade for livestock and horticulture, and food storage property flood protection. The Food Partnership will maintain links with the Devon Climate Emergency partnership to assist in disseminating relevant messages from the upcoming Adaptation Plan to food stakeholders.

Case Study: Langage AD

Langage AD is an anaerobic digestion plant built by Langage Farm in the South Hams. The plant uses waste from the farm’s dairy products factory and from local businesses and schools to produce electricity, heat, and biofertiliser. This is then used in the factory and on the farm, with any surplus electricity exported to the national grid. In this way, a cycle is formed whereby any food waste is put to good use.

Strategic Priorities

6.1 Support farmers and fishers through the transition to more sustainable practices through high quality, well-coordinated advice provision
6.2 Support a range of actions that encourage reductions in the use of pesticides
6.3 Help farm businesses achieve a fair price for sustainably produced goods by promoting access to local, premium, and natural capital markets
6.4 Use the county farms estate to demonstrate best practice
6.5 Continue to promote the use of the Government’s Eatwell Guide
6.6 Achieve recognition and implementation of the food waste hierarchy throughout the supply chain – from field to fork
6.7 Support the development and implementation of a Devon Land Use Framework and Nature Recovery Network on land and sea
6.8 Use our collective influence to ensure that ELMS is well designed, effectively targeted, and fairly administered
6.9 Support fisheries to implement or continue with sustainable practices
6.10 Promote the Devon Carbon Plan and its principles

Summary

Six Themes Strategic Priorities Who?
Food Governance and Strategy 1.1 Creating a representative and balanced network of stakeholders from across Devon’s food system DFP, local authorities, local food partnerships, voluntary and community groups, local food businesses
1.2 Facilitating collaborative working around a shared vision DFP, local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
1.3 Valuing the collective impact of incremental changes DFP, local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
1.4 Raising awareness of national recommendations and how these are relevant to local stakeholders, including the role they can play in delivering them DFP, local food partnerships
1.5 Balancing attention on environmental, social, and economic resilience and sustainability Local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
1.6 Collecting and maintaining data to inform future strategy and action Academic Institutions, local authorities, DFP, local food partnerships, community groups
1.7 Supporting initiatives which promote sustainable and regenerative practices DFP, local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
1.8 Sharing learning and best practice DFP, local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups, local food businesses
1.9 Encouraging anchor institutions to consider their role in the food system DFP and anchor institutions (e.g., Local authorities, public sector organisations, academic institutions, healthcare trusts)
1.10 Championing the development and delivery of local action plans DFP, local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
1.11 Future-proofing food governance in the county for the long-term Local authorities
Good Food Movement 2.1 Establish a social media presence for the Partnership DFP
2.2 Engage the public with active food citizenship Local food partnerships, voluntary and community groups
2.3 Connect organisations, individuals, communities, and initiatives around Devon DFP, Local food partnerships, voluntary and community groups
2.4 Share advice and examples of best practice, and join up Devon’s Good Food Movement DFP, Local food partnerships, voluntary and community groups
2.5 Promote programmes that improve food education and address inequality DFP, Local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
2.6 Help scale up successful initiatives Local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
2.7 Support stakeholders across Devon’s food system, particularly farmers, local food producers, and food hubs DFP, local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
Healthy Food for All 3.1 Promote a diversity of responses to food insecurity that supports ongoing access to affordable, healthy food Local authorities, community groups
3.2 Support research strands that build our understanding of experiences and challenges relating to food insecurity Academic institutions, local authorities, community groups, local food partnerships
3.3 Facilitate collaboration within and between public and voluntary sector bodies to build a more resilient and consistent approach to food support Voluntary and community groups, local authorities
3.4 Promote education in schools and beyond about healthy, sustainable food Schools, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
3.5 Support community-building and community-led food projects Voluntary and community groups, local authorities, local food partnerships
3.6 Prompt local authorities and anchor institutions to consider the variety of roles they can play to improve access to healthy food Local authorities, DFP, local food partnerships, anchor institutions
Sustainable Food Economy 4.1 Promote buying locally produced food from local businesses Local businesses, local authorities
4.2 Work with initiatives that support local food businesses, including Future Farming Resilience (FFR) and the Heart of the South West Growth Hub Local authorities, local initiatives, local food partnerships, voluntary and community groups
4.3 Continue to support farmers on the journey to carbon neutrality and increased biodiversity NFU, local authorities, business support organisations, community groups, research and academic institutions
4.4 Help connect food businesses and consumers around Devon DFP, Local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups
4.5 Promote initiatives such as storage facilities which ensure locally produced food is available all year round in the most sustainable way Local food partnerships, local authorities, voluntary and community groups, businesses, business representative organisations
4.6 Signposting businesses to support services and advice to ensure producers can sell at a fair price Heart of the South West Growth Hub, local authorities, local food partnerships, food sector bodies
Catering and Procurement 5.1 Maximise opportunities for purchasing locally and sustainably produced food Local food partnerships, local authorities, anchor institutions, community groups, businesses
5.2 Support organisations that improve access to market for smaller SME farmers, growers and food manufacturers Local food partnerships, local authorities, anchor institutions, community groups, businesses
5.3 Support and encourage action on the recommendations of the Public Procurement of Food in the South West research report Local food partnerships, local authorities, anchor institutions, community groups, businesses
5.4 Improve awareness of the benefits and opportunities presented by shortening supply chains Local food partnerships, local authorities, anchor institutions, community groups, businesses
Food for the Planet 6.1 Support farmers and fishers through the transition to more sustainable practices through high quality, well-coordinated advice provision Local authorities, local initiatives, business support services, NFU, NGO farm advisers
6.2 Support a range of actions that encourage reductions in the use of pesticides Devon Wildlife Trust, West Country Rivers Trust, statutory agencies, other farm advisors
6.3 Help farm businesses achieve a fair price for sustainably produced goods by promoting access to local, premium, and natural capital markets NFU, food sector bodies
6.4 Use the county farms estate to demonstrate best practice Local authorities
6.5 Continue to promote the use of the Government’s Eatwell Guide Local authorities
6.6 Achieve recognition and implementation of the food waste hierarchy throughout the supply chain – from field to fork Local authorities, businesses, farm businesses
6.7 Support the development and implementation of a Devon Land Use Framework and Nature Recovery Network on land and sea Local authorities,

Devon Local Nature Partnership, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, Devon Communities Together, Devon Wildlife Trust, voluntary and community groups

6.8 Use our collective influence to ensure that ELMS is well designed, effectively targeted, and fairly administered Local authorities, NFU, local food partnerships, farm businesses, business support organisations, voluntary and community groups, statutory agencies, Local Nature Partnership
6.9 Support fisheries to implement or continue with sustainable practices Local authorities, environmental organisations, businesses, research institutions
6.10 Promote the Devon Carbon Plan and its principles Local authorities, DFP, Local food partnerships, voluntary and community groups

Further Information

Links

Contributors

The following members of the Devon Food Partnership’s Interim Steering Group helped produce this strategy, though this should not be taken as an endorsement of its contents by the organisations they represent.

  • Geraldine Addo-Adamu (Devon Communities Together)
  • Harry Barton (Devon Wildlife Trust)
  • Dr Ian Blackwell (Devon Community Foundation)
  • Annette Dentith (Devon County Council)
  • Ali Eastland (Devon County Council)
  • Dr Nicola Frost (Devon Community Foundation)
  • Sara Gibbs (Devon County Council)
  • Andy Johnson (Exeter Local Organic Market)
  • Becky Morgan (Torbay Council)
  • Emily Reed (Devon Climate Emergency)
  • Dr Rebecca Sandover (University of Exeter)
  • Ian Smith (Food Plymouth)
  • Stella West-Harling (Feeding Devon)

Contact

Email: info@devonfoodpartnership.org.uk

Website: www.devonfoodpartnership.org.uk

SFP Webpage: https://www.sustainablefoodplaces.org/members/devon/

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