Fife set to unveil food strategy at climate festival to combat food poverty

The event takes place at Silverburn Park on October 5 ands is the culmination of a week of activity across the region.

The strategy aims to combat food poverty and help mitigate the climate crisis by reducing reliance on imported foods, enhancing local food security, and fostering sustainable practices. It supports the changes needed across the food system so that everyone has access to fresh, seasonal, and affordable food.

The Big Day Oot brings people together to share knowledge, experiences and activities and have lots of fun at the same time. It is the final event of the festival and includes nature walks, stalls, cycle rides, bushcraft, yoga, storytelling, Dr Bike - a free bike health check - arts and crafts, free fruit trees and much more.

The Food4Fife Partnership aims to create a sustainable food culture in Fife with six pillars covering all aspects of the food system.

Healthy food for all: Preventing food poverty by providing access to healthy and affordable food

Community food: Empowering Fife’s food community through increased access to growing spaces, food skills and education

Food economy: Supporting local food producers and suppliers to create a food economy and culture that is local, high quality and innovative

Catering and procurement: Using Fife’s public sector procurement to bring local food into schools, hospitals and learning institutions.

Farming, soil and climate: Growing food in Fife to reduce waste, redistribute excess and support soil health and biodiversity.

Partnership Working: Working in partnership across all parts of the food system

On the same day, Fife Climate Forest partnership will announcing its plan to create a strategy to protect trees in the region, and to plant new trees. Both initiatives support the council’s Climate Fife Strategy and Action Plan 2024.

Fife Climate Festival runs from Saturday, September 21.

Cllr Jan Wincott, spokesperson for environment and climate change, said: “The Big Day Oot is a fantastic occasion to launch the Food4Fife strategy and celebrate its creation and purpose. The strategy has been developed in partnership with local organisations, communities, food businesses, public procurement, farmers and growers in Fife, many of whom are involved in the Climate Festival.”