This week, Future Economic Rural Network’s new Ferncast podcast interviewed Director of FERN, Kevin Beaty, on rural food security, automation and worker retention.
In the modern countryside, food security is as a pressing issue at the production side as is the sales side in supermarkets, but government rules are not flexible enough to keep up with the ever-changing geopolitical landscape.
This week Daniel Rad discusses the topic with Kevin Beaty and the two attempts to get to the nuts and bolts of the issue.
The State of Food Security in the UK is a cause for concern. According to a report by the Trussell Trust, 1.6 million people received emergency food parcels from food banks in 2017. This is a significant increase from the 1 million people who received food parcels in 2016.
One of the main reasons for this increase is the decline of the rural economy. Many rural areas are now facing food insecurity, as there are no jobs and no way to make a living.
We need to prioritize rural food security, as it is essential for the health and wellbeing of our citizens. We need to invest in rural infrastructure and create jobs in these areas so that people can have access to healthy and affordable food.
