Green Belt: food for thought
The Green Belt plays a key role in putting food on our tables and CPRE London’s Tree Ring project aims to protect the land and use it to produce more
According to analysis by CPRE National, Green Belt land is responsible for 14.2% (£3.3 billion) of UK farming’s total turnover. Although it represents only around 11.3% of total UK farmland, it produces higher proportions of the total UK supply of key foods, including wheat, oats and vegetables. But Government plans to build on the so-called “grey belt” could put this land and therefore food supply at risk.
London Tree Ring
CPRE London’s Tree Ring project aims to create an M25 of nature encircling the capital, to protect and make the most of our Green Belt. As well as trees and other habitats, this will provide agroforestry, through community farms.
In recent years, there has been a huge swell of interest in community food growing on available peri-urban green space in and around the capital. CPRE London fully supports this movement, recognising the benefits to the climate and nature, as well as potential increases in community access to green space and improved food resilience.
CPRE London’s Director, Anna Taylor, said: “Green Belt is London’s climate safety belt. Growing food near where people live helps keep down food miles. In terms of cutting carbon emissions, it also helps prevent car-dependent urban sprawl and encourages much more carbon efficient regeneration of our cities, enabling people to live low-carbon lifestyles near jobs and services. And that’s before you even get into the role it plays in supporting nature’s recovery, carbon capture and storage, urban cooling, and delivering other ecosystem services.”
Community farms
As part of the More Natural Capital Coalition, we are calling for the GLA and local authorities to support the creation of six new major peri-urban community farms and 150 new community orchards by 2030. The farms can be managed in a nature-friendly way, including hedgerows, shrubs and trees to provide natural wind breaks, as well as incorporating areas to grow fruit and nut trees.
One of the GLA Environment Committee’s current investigations is on local and community food growing. The Committee is looking at a number of issues, including how the Mayor could support local food growing in the renewal of the London Plan and how to obtain suitable sites.
CPRE London believes that, in order to boost local food growing at scale, the GLA needs to be supportive of nature-friendly peri-urban agroforestry in the capital.
You can learn more about our London Tree Ring vision here.
Read about the More Natural Capital Coalition here.
For ideas on better addressing the affordable housing crisis without worsening the climate and biodiversity crises, see here.
