Tiny Changes, Big Impacts Report
This project started initially from conversations with local farmers about the challenges of diversifying into direct meat sales and sourcing butchery services.
As the research deepened, it became clear that the challenges stretched far beyond individual farms. They pointed to wider issues across the connected supply chain, where barriers and bottlenecks in one area caused knock‑on effects in others. The system works as a whole, so solutions needed to as well. A wider view was needed to understand the pressures on farms and local businesses in the supply chain. Raising another question: ‘How could a local food system support local farms, businesses and feed local communities in Cumbria?’
This report is an exploration of the local supply chain, how it operates and where improvements could be made.
The aim of this project is to understand and explore three key areas:
INSIGHTS
What are the challenges of local meat supply chains?
In this section I research the structure and interdependent nature of localised meat supply chains. I explore how they function, the challenges faced at each stage from producer to consumer, what local infrastructure is required and try to identify current local challenges. This work combined reading national reports and wider research, with local conversations to hear the stories behind the statistics. From this I hoped to develop an understanding of the whole system function, and identify the challenges, barriers and bottlenecks.
IDEAS & INSPIRATION
What local food system initiatives and ideas could support local meat supply chains in Cumbria?
This section aims to present a ‘buffet’ of tools, ideas and initiatives that, when used in the right combination, could help us address some of the identified local challenges. I draw on the amazing work of many organisations, reviewing numerous reports and researching inspiring case studies from within the UK and further afield, along with a few new ideas too. The hope is that these provide some ‘food for thought’ and could inform and inspire future initiatives here in Cumbria. You might come across some new and creative ideas, some might seem a bit ‘out there’ or radical, but trust me they are all rooted in practicality and sprinkled with a good dose of optimism. All I ask is that you to read this section with an open mind and an active imagination. Think less about ‘what is’… more about what if…?
IMPLEMENTATION
How can we implement projects to grow a resilient, reliable local food system and vibrant food culture?
In the final section, I wanted to talk to the challenges of implementation. Lists of initiatives, actions, tools are a great starting point – but this is useless without considering how to actually make them happen. In this section there are some implementation principles from wider reading, new thinking on complex systems, collective organising, governance, alongside some regenerative design and economics. The hope is these principles will shape and inform how to execute these initiatives, to help ensure that they are effective and resilient.
This report has been completed with funding through Defra’s Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme, via the Lake District National Park Authority