Cowell, 2003 – Localisation of UK food production: an analysis using land area and energy as indicators

A variety of policy strategies have been proposed and argued as capable of delivering more sustainable food systems, and accompanying indicators have been developed to analyse the implications of these strategies for specific situations. This paper focuses on the policy strategy suggesting that localisation of food production leads to more sustainable societies. A case study of UK food production, and imports and exports of foodstuffs, is presented to explore the feasibility of operationalising this strategy, using land area and energy use as indicators. Novel features of the method used in the case study include: analysis at country level in specific foodstuff categories, and use of actual data on production and consumption of foodstuffs. The results show that, based on the land use indicator, localisation of UK food production is possible, although this would involve considerable changes in individuals’ food consumption patterns. However, would implementation of such a strategy actually contribute to a more sustainable society? Using the indicators of land area and energy use, this question cannot be answered without additional consideration of the trade-offs between the UK and other countries in yields from equivalent crops, and energy requirements for agricultural production.