Duncan Catchpole, founder and owner of Cambridge Organic Food Co., and an entrepreneur and author, talks to us about his new release, Local Food Ecosystems: How Food Can Help Create a More Sustainable Food System. Duncan advocates for system change, painting the scene of how a transition towards a local food ecosystem brings local communities together to create a vibrant, thriving, healthy space, which is good for the wellbeing of people, planet and nature.

What is a local food hub?

A ‘food hub’ could be described as a space (physical or virtual, temporary or permanent) for the convening of food enterprises and their products. Typically, these enterprises come from a local geographical area and have shared values (such as environmental sustainability and artisanal production). Coming together this way brings mutual benefit to the enterprises who are participating, such as access to markets and economies of scales. And this can also bring social and environmental benefits, such as a shorter supply chains and improved transparency. The role of the food hub is to support this community of enterprises through the provision of services and facilities.

Does a local food ecosystem increase food resilience?

A very emphatic yes! ‘Just in time’ food deliveries have been exposed as lacking resilience. As we speak, we’re hearing about possible supply chain breakdown as a result of CO₂ shortages, leaving farmers unable to slaughter their animals. Local food systems are inherently more resilient as they’re better distributed and far more adaptable. If there’s failing in one part of the system, another part of the system will spring into action…

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