It’s harvest time, a time to give thanks, to take stock and draw breath. And yet, shopping last week, I was unable to buy anything fresh at our local supermarket. The fruit and veg shelves were all but empty and since our town can no longer sustain an independent local grocer, I came away with a trolley full of plastic.

This apparent fragility of our local food system reminded me of the time, some twenty or so years ago, when the oil delivery drivers blockaded the fuel depots and the local supermarket shelves were stripped bare within days due to panic buying. It brought home to me yet again how dependent we are on the big supermarket chains and food imported to the Forest. It made me wonder what more we have to do to ensure our essential food supplies are sustainable and adapted to changing circumstances. What is the problem and what can we begin to do to address it?

Food insecurity has to do with harvests. Our farmers are having a hard time of it. In the past 18 months, the UK has faced its wettest conditions since 1836, significantly affecting crop yields and farming activities. This year's wheat harvest plummeted by 21 per cent, making us even more reliant on imports, while the continuing foul weather has hindered planting and harvest prospects, much as the wet weather and lack of light did last year.

Food insecurity has to do with climate change. According to an article in this October's Farmers Weekly about the threat to the crop growing season 'Leading climate research organisations, including the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative, participated in the research and emphasised that the UK government is neglecting a critical national security threat. This, coupled with recent devastating droughts and floods, raises urgent concerns for food security… experts argue that, as climate tipping points become more probable, proactive measures are essential to safeguard food systems and overall national stability.'

Food insecurity has to do with poverty. At the top of the food ladder we have the major supermarkets, on the bottom rung our food banks giving essential supplies to those with acute food insecurity. According to a government report in May this year more and more disabled people and those who live in social housing on means- tested benefits are relying on food banks. The Trussell Trust, which operates a network of food banks across the country, distributed over three million food parcels last year. According to government statistics, 3% of all individuals in the UK used a food bank in 2022/23.

Food insecurity has to do with waste. The awful irony is that we waste so much of our food, particularly in wealthier nations, where 17 per cent of all food available to consumers ends up being thrown away.

Food insecurity has to be addressed. Foresters are resourceful, adaptable and resilient. Increasingly we will have to sustain these virtues. Let's hope we are still close enough to the land, can retain access to it and remember how to look after the soil, to plant and grow nourishing food, to know how to cook and bring it to the table. More and more of those who are lucky enough to have gardens or access to allotments and community gardens are growing and sharing their own food.

And, perhaps most important of all, we must cherish our local producers and retailers who are a critical part of our local food system. I'm hoping that this November's Forest Food Forum will give us more imaginative ideas of how we might begin to look at this problem together, all of us who grow, distribute and have an interest in food. If you want to take part, please go to: forest-food.org