Making sense of Net Zero with good food and good company

Given Emergent Generation’s current focus on “reconnecting urban and rural”, it felt appropriate to be meeting in Bermondsey. In a light industrial area of pollution-blackened railway arches, with the stormy day’s intermittent rain completing the gritty urban aesthetic, we gathered at Natoora: a greengrocer championing seasonality, provenance and dietary diversity. Natoora is surrounded by other foodie outlets like a Venezuelan deli, award-winning Chinese sauces, an artisanal bakery and a traditional cheesemonger. Not far from the bustle of Bermondsey restaurants, and the beer mile. Microcosm of the London scene: pursuing flavour, artisanal craftsmanship and transparent, relational sourcing; hosting diverse cuisines; providing the most plant-forward menus.

Thirty 18-35 year olds answered the call and gathered here for a one-day workshop on Net Zero in UK food and farming. Generous breaks and time in small groups gave everyone plenty of opportunity to chat. A way to make the Net Zero topic less daunting, and connect via shared motivations. Many were wrestling with how to reconcile a personal drive for urgent action with potentially limited scope of making change in their professional roles. 

We were in for a rich day of learning and thinking. Here are some of the key themes from the day.

Things are changing, whether we like it or not. 

Jonty Brunyee, farmer and Emergent Generation co-founder, and Neil Ward, academic professor and co-lead of the AFN Network+, framed this powerfully. The warmest spring and summer on record; spring crops failing and tough planting decisions; meat prices soaring  and winter feed reserves being used through the drought. And on the global level, we are in uncharted territory of instability, in terms of climate and geopolitical developments. National food resilience appears ever-more critical.

Net zero is the outcome, not the guiding star. 

There was a shared sense that Net Zero doesn't quite work as a motivating concept. Yes, we hope to end up there, and it’s a necessity for viable UK agriculture and a liveable planet. But numerous participants shared concerns. Net Zero isn’t inspiring, it’s too technical and abstract. It is open to greenwashing. It can amount to little more than an accounting trick for business-as-usual “netted off” by offsets or imaginary carbon capture tech. It is too narrow, ignoring other pressing agri-food issues.

As one person summed it up: "We need to be more radical, not just focused on balancing out carbon". This may also address the noted challenge of conspiracy theories. While these may represent frustrations of rural communities, who are not adequately involved or supported, they are also a distraction and delay tactic that lock-in the chances of shock-induced, harmful changes.

Thankfully, we can separate our concerns about the Net Zero framing from our commitment to action. Simply, a positive vision is needed instead. And (admittedly, the sample is biased here!) agroecology and landscape-scale regenerative practices provide the foundations of that vision.

Regen and agroecology enable a more enchanting and bountiful story. These approaches are the way to deal systemically with diet-related health issues, agricultural pollution of water, and devastated biodiversity. And truly addressing these will get us to net zero -- it's all connected. This is not just feel-good talk: insights from the Agri-Food for Net Zero Network's Future Food Calculator and Roadmap development show this based on in-depth consultation and modelling.

We have to work within the system, but get wise about power imbalances. 

Participants were united by their shared identity as young adults, but representing diverse roles in the agri-food system. So it was no surprise that when the topic of power inevitably surfaced, it was addressed from a range of perspectives.

Nobody wants to play the blame game, so psychological safety and inclusion are important considerations. This includes people in corporate roles who can be seen by some, too simplistically, as "the bad guy". At the same time, companies do wield power and block important routes of change - examples referenced were corporate lobbying against junk food advertising bans, and watering down of government regulations for promoting minimally processed and nutritious food.

So, we wondered: who should be setting the agenda, and who should be in the room? For some topics, we need everyone. Some discussions may be more productive without corporate influence. But we must avoid black-and-white thinking as the food system is such a patchwork of organisations.

Workshop and networking spaces are vital sustenance. 

While perspectives differed -- on the role of corporates, on regulation, on the needed scale of livestock reduction, and how this can be managed as a just transition -- the abiding impression was eagerness and gratitude to be sense-making together.

We recognised that we are in a bubble. Amusingly exposed when asked: how many of us had takeaway in the last week? And not more than five hands raised into the air! It’s clear our privileged food systems perspective has us thinking more than average about the provenance, health and sustainability of our food.

And that's why this kind of time and space is so important. It can be lonely out there, requiring so much grit and resilience in the face of harsh realities. Community keeps us going.

Systems change and lifestyle change go together. 

Another dilemma of the day was the role of regulation. A mixed picture was painted by our expert contributors Neil Ward and Robin Clark, so ensuing discussions pondered the puzzle.

The "commercial perspective" was presented by Robin, who provided a lot of provocation. Only a subset of consumers are moved by health and sustainability concerns; until there is more education and awareness, what can be done?

Neil gave a bit of a history lesson. We are in a period of political and economic change as tumultuous as the 1940s-1960s. The good news? This parallel teaches us that sweeping transformation is achievable, and provides a model of how it can happen.

Many concluded the day with a reinforced sense that more courageous political leadership is needed: that voluntary initiatives are insufficient and we need more intervention. Farmers need more financial support to explore and adopt agroecological and regenerative practices -- they need to be rewarded for their efforts. Food environments need to be restructured to end the Junk Food Cycle, as individuals cannot be expected to make good choices when the odds are stacked against them. They also need support, to learn to cook and eat a bit differently. Companies need clear signals, policy coherence and removing de facto penalties for first-movers.

Positive examples include the Soft Drinks Industry Levy; restrictions on TV advertising of high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) foods; and partial restrictions on where HFSS can be placed in certain shops.

But that raised the question, why would a government regulate more severely, and risk votes, and industry or farmer support? This is particularly true when it comes to the emotive issue of (ruminant) animal-source food production and consumption, which the Climate Change Committee concludes is essentially unavoidable if we are to reach net zero by 2050.

And so the apparent conundrum: stronger government direction is vital and has been the key driver of change in the past. But in our political moment it seems remote, even impossible. Which leaves us looking to industry for leadership. Some participants focussed on the essential work to be done in this context: making the case and finding ways forward for regenerative practices in the current system.

The recent M&S Plan for Farming announcement hints at what is possible. But supermarkets (for example) also say that their product mix is ultimately driven by demand, and focus on keeping food as affordable as possible.

And if we have to rely on demand-side change -- is this a tall order when climate and sustainability are (understandably) low priority for the millions who are struggling?

A provocative answer was given for all our woes: rationing! A wave of laughter rippled across the room. If only. Anywhere it can be taken seriously as a suggestion, indicates a context where current political appetites have already been transformed. Still, rationing illustrates the interplay between system-level change and behaviour change. People living under rationing readily adapted their habits, just as we glimpsed during the Covid-19 era too.

Neil talked about "presentism" and this was a helpful idea: given the scale of change required, we have to challenge ourselves to question the boundaries of what we think is possible, because it’s so often constrained by the status quo.

Challenge accepted: working out what action is effective, and our particular role to play. 

It was a lot of ground to cover in a one day workshop (let alone one blog post..!). Much food for thought for 30 mostly-new Em Gen members, left grappling with how it all fits together. Definitely seeds planted with stoic optimism, rather than a harvest of mature fruit.

Everyone came to the workshop for a reason and, in characteristic style, we foregrounded this "Why" throughout the day, starting with the ice-breaker discussing personal net zero challenges and motivations for acting. This fostered connection at a deeper level and helped build a sense of shared reality that will last beyond the day.

The beautiful simplicity of Emergent Generation is that the 18-35 age bracket unites across the huge diversity of roles and relationships to food and farming. Chefs, entrepreneurs, farmer and farm advisors, sustainability consultants, NGO workers, PhDs and academics, recent graduates and job seekers -- to name a few positions present on the day. Connected, we can better understand our unique place in the wider system, what we can uniquely contribute, and how to coordinate more effectively.

So: what's your agroecology, regenerative and/or Net Zero challenge? 

And how can we address it, together?

For more insights on addressing Net Zero, you can also look out for the AFN Network’s Roadmap, due to be released in October. Many thanks to the Network for the funding that enabled this fantastic day of learning, thinking and connecting.

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