Sustaining Dunbar seeks to reduce food miles by encouraging the cultivation and consumption of locally produced food and the Food sub-Group is convened by Sarah Wall. New members are very welcome; pop into the Crunchy Carrot shop on the Dunbar High Street to talk to Sarah.

Aims of the Food Group

• Begin the process of identifying the carbon footprint of foods available to the people of Dunbar
• Encourage and assist in the use of allotments/ growing foods in gardens. Liaise with EL council in the allocation of allotments
• Identify the supplies/suppliers of locally produced foods
• Include children in the sustainability of Dunbar
• Link people with gardens and want help to those who have not got and want to help

Allotments

The Food Group has been liasing with EL Council’s Countryside Officer, Stuart Pryde, on community allotments for Dunbar. A proposal is being put to council members on 12th December re the revamping of allotment provision in East Lothian. This includes new lease formats, identifying who has allotments at present and whether they still want to keep them, identifying areas for new allotment sites, and better management of allotments. There are about 20 people on the allotment waiting list at present for Dunbar, and Mr Pryde believes that this number will increase over 2008. Mr Pryde is very keen for the allotment scheme to get under way and is happy to come and speak with us in new year when he has further info. Anyone can put their name on the Allotments waiting list by emailing Stuart Pryde, ringing him on 01620 827430, or there is more information on the East Lothian Council’s allotment policy website.

Channel 4’s Landshare Initiative

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is trying to link people and plots throughout the country through this Landshare programme. Sign up at the Landshare website.

Fruit Trees

Many people have fruit trees in their gardens which produce more food than they themselves can eat. Sarah and Chris are putting together a map of Dunbar with all the local fruit trees on it. This can be found here: View Fruit Tree Map

If you would llike to add to this map, you first need to create a Google Account here, and then view the map using the link above.

Carbon footprint

We pledged to investigate just how far our food produce has to travel before we can access it. We will ask Peter the Butcher how far meat travels between farm, slaughterhouse and his shop. Eventually we can make the case for more local slaughtering – e.g. each county has its own facility. We will look at whether or not there is a relationship between fish landed at Dunbar Harbour and the High St fish shop, and what we might do to improve this. Sarah is already dealing with local producers as much as possible for veg, fruit and eggs. The Crunchy Carrot of course has always happily taken garden surplus.

The food group are putting together a calender to identify when local produce became available. This may take the shape of a target with the center being local and then outer rings identifying produce from Scotland then England, Europe etc. Linked to this was running a project similar to the one running in Fife, the Fife Diet. Around 50 families are eating according to what is available in Fife. They are not being rigid about this, for example they are still using blackpepper and olive oil. However they are attempting to make an effort to buy as much of their diet from local producers via local suppliers. Are there any folk out there that would be interested in following an ‘EL PLAN’? or indeed already do.

Other Ideas

A brainstorming session faciliated by Susan Guy produced lots of ideas for investigation. These are listed below (in no particular order)

• The use of one of the poly tunnels at Belhaven Fruit Farm
• Identification of allotment sites around Dunbar
• Finding out those who have gardens but want help planting out for veg etc and linking them up with people who don’t have gardens
• Community Bee keeping
• Business or Community allotment
• Celebrate and make known the good things already happening
• Fish farms off shore
• Local currency
• Allotment/ gardening club: teaching people to grow their own veg
• Seed exchange
• Shops and restaurants using local produce
• Identify sources of unused fruit trees in gardens
• Encourage children to learn about where food comes from and its impact on the environment
• Local fish available locally. In schools?
• Community and school visits to local food producers e.g. fish farm, fruit
  farm, Knowes Farm, Phantassie Farm
• Produce a pack about Dunbar for new residents to the area
• Food festival and directory

Useful Links

Forth Valley Food Links has a good local produce page, info on allotments, info on what forth valley council is doing to support local produce and their producers

Anyone who is interested in how we might feed ourselves in future as well as in future employment and settlement patterns would do well to read Simon Fairlie’s recently published article Can Britain Feed Itself?

A possible model for local food production: Stroud Community Agriculture

Lancaster District Sustainability Partnership have produced a useful document called Eat Local which outlines their plans for encouraging Lancashire residents to eat local food.

We also like the sound of the Food Up Front scheme which encourages Londoners to use their front gardens and balconies to grow and share healthy, natural food.