Can London Feed Itself?

This June as part of London Festival of Architecture 2008, City Hall will host a conference to tackle one of the biggest issues we will face in the coming years: Where will London get its food from? 

Growing Food for London will see international experts on urban agriculture discuss their work alongside presentations on other topics such as edible roof gardens and use of the Green Belt.[1]

Ben Reynolds, from organisers London Food Link,[2] believes the timing is crucial: “Set against rising food prices and increasing pressures to tackle climate change, London seriously needs to consider putting aside more space for growing food.  Not only will this help future-proof against food shortages and preserve the capital's open space, but it will also educate and improve the health of Londoners and reduce the distance that London's food has travelled.”

The event, jointly organised with the London Parks and Green Spaces Forum,[3] is part of the London Festival of Architecture,[4] the world's biggest celebration of architecture and the built environment, with over 500 events and activities this summer focusing on the theme 'Fresh'. LFA2008 will feature a range of food-related projects, including two projects which have been supported by London Food Link: a 'Continuous Picnic' outside the British Museum organised by Bohn and Viljoen Architects, and an installation by What If? that fills derelict spaces in east London council estates with vegetable grow bags.

Peter Murray, Director of the London Festival of Architecture, commented, “We are delighted that so many food-related projects are planned for this year's Festival, and that planners and architects are realising that food can be an exciting part of urban design. The City Hall event will provide a lynchpin to the Festival's food activities, showing a real way forward for food growing in London.”

All of these food events and many more are featured on London Food Link's new food events calendar,[5] which is the only place that lists regular and one-off events on sustainable food in London, including farmers' markets, allotment open days, and food-growing training courses.

ENDS

Press contact: Ben Reynolds, London Food Link project officer, tel (work): 0203 5596 777; (mobile): 07939 202711

For information on the London Festival of Architecture, please contact Lucy Wilson or Rachael Smith at Theresa Simon & Partners 020 7734 4800 lucy@theresasimon.com

London Festival of Architecture press image download information
Go to www.theresasimon.com/press, sign in with name and email, click on London Festival of Architecture and download the relevant pictures.

Further information and booking form

Notes

Location: Greater London Authority, City Hall Conference Rooms 4 & 5
Date: Monday, 30th June 2008, 09:00 -19:00
Booking necessary - For more information see https://www.sustainweb.org/page.php?id=433
Speakers include:
Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University, former Director of the Centre for Food Policy at Thames Valley University
Joe Nasr, author of Urban Agriculture: Food, Jobs and Sustainable Cities
Fritz Haeg, author of Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn,
Ian Collingwood, Middlesborough Council regeneration, and lead on the Middlesborough Urban Farming project.

This event is supported by Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based sector. www.lantra.co.uk/

 

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1)  The day will be split into a series of sessions focusing in on opportunities to increase the amount of food being grown in London.  The first session will provide a review of the urban agriculture movement internationally and closer to home.
Commercial viability of urban agriculture
    •  Agriculture in the urban fringe
    •  Social enterprises as a model

Spaces for growing more food
    •  Parks
    •  Housing estates
    •  Roof gardens

Future opportunities
    •  Planning food growing into new developments
    •  Skills and training for growers
    •  Funding opportunities

2)  London Food Link is a project of Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming. Representing around 100 national public-interest organisations, Sustain (a not-for-profit organisation) advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, promote equity and enrich society and culture. www.sustainweb.org

3)  London Parks and Green Spaces Forum http://www.lpgsf.org.uk/ 
The London Parks and Green Spaces Forum was established in 2001 and is the only independent organisation that exists with its sole focus on London's parks & green spaces.  It is an unincorporated association formed by a consortium of funding and other partners.  The Forum is linked to the national organisation GreenSpace. The Forum functions through a Steering Group and number of Working Groups that are made up of many volunteers and are established to tackle specific sets of issues.

4)  London Festival of Architecture http://www.lfa2008.org/
London Festival of Architecture 2008 will be one of the world's major celebrations of architecture and the built environment.  London's landscape will be transformed during the spectacular month-long festival, which will include hundreds of events on the theme of FRESH! Organised in association with Design for London, events including exhibitions, architect-designed pavilions, talks, walks and film screenings will take place at national cultural institutions like the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, high profile outdoor public spaces and places of architectural interest across the capital.

5)  The London Food events calendar, lists events, training sessions and alternative markets across the capital.  The calendar, which is the number one source for sustainable food events in London can be found at http://www.londonfoodlink.org/