Our Food Horizon event key to improving Vale food system
On 23rd November over 60 activists, food producers, and key partners joined together at Barry Memo Arts Centre to discuss a strategy and vision for the future of food in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The event was hosted by Food Vale, the sustainable food partnership for the Vale of Glamorgan, and forms the next step in their goal of making the local food system in the Vale of Glamorgan healthier and more sustainable. Whilst the strategy is set to span a 5-year duration, it is going to be embedded in a 100-year vision as a gesture of acknowledgement of the importance of long-term thinking to ensure that the needs of future generations are being considered.
The day began with a series of presentations from special guests who were able to set the scene for the discussions that would follow.
Holly Butterworth from Natural Resources Wales then guided participants through the Three Horizons Framework – a toolkit for making sense of what we want the future to look like and what measures might be able to be pursued in the present to achieve this.
Next steps
Food Vale will be taking forward this work to formulate a draft strategy and vision that will be shared in early 2024. There will be a consultation period to ensure citizens have more opportunities to shape this strategy. This will be communicated in our newsletter, on the Food Vale website, and through our social media channels.
We will be working closely with partners in the Council, in the PSB, in the Health Board and elsewhere to make sure that this work aligns as closely as possible with existing strategies and policies across the Vale of Glamorgan, such as the Health Board’s Move More Eat Well plan, the Council’s Climate Challenge plan ‘Project Zero’, and of course the Vale PSB’s Wellbeing Plan.
We hope to launch the signed-off strategy next Spring. The strategy will be delivered by all partners, and progress will be monitored by the Food Vale Steering Group. Food Vale will be seeking clear support from key partners who will be encouraged to sign up to endorse this strategy.
Food Vale wishes to thank everyone who took the time out to join the Our Food Horizon event, with special thanks to those who supported on the delivery, including the speakers, caterers, facilitators and Barry Memo Arts Centre for hosting us.
Thank you to all the partners who continue to support the work of the Food Vale partnership including local caterers WildThing who provided delicious lunch and refreshments.
We look forward to sharing the draft strategy with you in 2024.