[Rosemary]

Richard Lochhead, Cab Sec for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment, launched a new discussion document called "Becoming a Good Food Nation" yesterday in Edinburgh.

It's available from the following link and there's a request for comments at the end.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/06/1195

[renee]

Very interesting article, though it took a bit of finding. I have often mused about "feeding a nation"
The farmers of Great Britain made such a fantastic effort during the war years.
I just  did a bit of fact finding. Scotland is twice as big as the county I live in. Scotland has a population of about  5 million whereas in Jämtland we are about 110000.
  Even so, Jämtland is making a big name for itself because of it's fine natural resources and it's gourmet food. Again and again medals are brought home through the quality and the innovative sense of the food producers. Eldrimmer, the national centre of fine food is situated in our county. Her one can keep up to date with laws, tips examples courses etc. They have containers which are rented out. A charcuterie and a baking/jam unit. When produing goods in these they are legal for sale at markets etc.
 I just checked their website and realised it is not in English. I  have sent them an E.mail suggesting they should tranlate it.
Here is the link anyway so you can at least see how much they have to offer.
http://www.eldrimner.com/

[Fleecewife]

Lots of people would like to eat better, but too many would just like to eat.  I trust the Scottish Government to face that problem as well.

[renee]

I do agree with you  -to live simply so others may simply live- is a saying I have always tried to live by. But by trying to be more self sufficient, I know it is very naive, and now one can purcase so many luxury goods, here I think of coffee, cocoa,, sugar etc. and support aid projects which help agricultare in underdeveloped countries, we are at least trying.
  We devour the natural resources of our poorer neighbours. It is about time some western governments look more closely at their agricultural systems. O.K. they are not blue eyed. They are doing it to save their own skins - but if it can help the global problems even in a teeny way, it is a start.
 I read the other day that world wide obesity is a larger problem that starvation. I can't believe it but if it is true it is down right disgusting

[Rosemary]

"Nourish" have produced a discussion paper which you may wish to comment on.

Indeed you may wish to pass your previous comments on to ScotGov. The issue of poverty in Scotland is a growing one - and food banks don't do fresh food.

[Ina]

  Even so, Jämtland is making a big name for itself because of it's fine natural resources and it's gourmet food.

Allegedly, so is Scotland. However, my impression is that most of the "food" that is exported and praised consists of whisky... And other stuff like jams that are not really food from my point of view and need a lot of input from outside Scotland (mostly sugar, which isn't produced here).

One of my ambitions is to find out how much real food we could produce here and whether that would feed the nation! Too many people are on what I call "The Austerity Diet": eat what you can afford, and if you can't afford to eat, go hungry...

[Rosemary]

One of my ambitions is to find out how much real food we could produce here and whether that would feed the nation! Too many people are on what I call "The Austerity Diet": eat what you can afford, and if you can't afford to eat, go hungry...

You should contact Nourish - that's the sort of thing they are interested in. I think they ran a conference last year called "Feeding the five million".

I don't disagree with you about the austerity diet, but we have to aspire to better.

[Ina]

You should contact Nourish - that's the sort of thing they are interested in. I think they ran a conference last year called "Feeding the five million".

I don't disagree with you about the austerity diet, but we have to aspire to better.

Yeah, I'm a member of Nourish, too... Lost interest a bit. Anyway, just haven't got the money to take part in their conferences etc. I was at the first one, that was still very enthusiastic; but I hate anything where I take part and end up with pictures/film of myself publicly available on the internet without even being asked. (I know, I'm an unsociable b*gger - but it would be nice to be asked first...) So I keep away now and stay at home, where I belong. 

And I've got fed up with other food forums, too, for being treated like a social outcast because I don't have enough cash to buy all the "good" food, and try to point out affordable alternatives! Too many people seem to think being poor automatically means being uneducated/stupid, and try to teach me stuff I knew decades ago (I do have a couple of degrees in agriculture/organic farming... )

[Fleecewife]

The eight week free course, 3 hours per week, that I've just been doing with Futurelearn, was all about this topic - Global Food Security, or in other words, securing enough food to feed everyone.  We looked at genetic modification, organics, local people developing their own local varieties of crop plants, systems in the West, systems in the poorer countries, obesity, malnutrition (which are not necessarily opposites as you can be severely malnourished but overweight, with your body trying to compensate for an appalling diet), politics, wars, greed for power, belief or otherwise in human nature.

We explored 'answers', but of course there is no single answer to feeding the World.  A number of different approaches need to be worked on, everyone's favourite being for local people to be in control of their own food production, with support from others.

The course will be run again but I don't know when.  It's something you can take part in to the exact degree you want to, use a false name if you wish perhaps, no photos, no comeback, just some interesting information.

www.futurelearn.com

[Ina]

The course will be run again but I don't know when.  It's something you can take part in to the exact degree you want to, use a false name if you wish perhaps, no photos, no comeback, just some interesting information.

www.futurelearn.com

This does sound interesting - thanks for that. However: I tried to take part in one of those "free" courses before, only to find out that you needed a rather advanced computer to take part. So I complained bitterly: what's the use of advertising "free" education if only the rich, i.e. those who can afford the latest IT technology, can take part? (I was fobbed off with some platitudes, of course. Nobody wants to know how the other half really lives.)

(Not saying that it's the same with this particular course.)

[Fleecewife]

I don't see why you should need an advanced computer for futurelearn.  Yours clearly does email, which is how the courses come through.  You just click on the link and there you are.  There are discussions on facebook and twitter, but as I barely know what they are I don't take part in them.  For the main discussions you just click on a 'comments' link, write your contribution and there you are.  There are folk from all over the world, some folk are knowledgeable having studied the topic before, but most are new to it.  Have a look at the futurelearn website.  There are a number of other courses to do.  I've done forensics, deep oceans, ecosystems and the Global food security.  I'm now doing Richard 111 and in the autumn I will be doing life on Hadrian's wall in Roman times.
Also, if it takes you longer than the allotted time, you just take longer.  The course stays up, I think maybe indefinitely.  I think you'd love it 

[Ina]

Thanks, Fleecewife - that certainly sounds much better than the one I tried before! I couldn't even load their introductory stuff on my old PC (I now have a somewhat better laptop). And the computers at the library are even more useless (when you can get at them).

Ha - I can see some more learning coming on! 

[Lesley Silvester]

I've done several courses with Future Learn as well and I enjoy it. I am behind at the moment but know I can catch up when I am ready. Sounds like I would enjoy the Global Food Security one as well so I'll look out for it starting again.