Food and Agriculture, Good Food, Greater Fairness, Health & Wellbeing, Strong Communities

Copy These! 5 Big Local Ideas About Producing Local Food

Carbon Copy

Sep 15 2025

Hungry for change? Here are some ideas about tackling the climate and nature crisis from the roots up.

Edible Playgrounds is an urban farming programme for students to grow and eat more healthy food.

Edible Playgrounds. Credit: Trees for Cities

1. We’re on the verge of something incredible!

Fruit, vegetables and herbs can be grown almost anywhere there is space. Disused flowerbeds, grass verges, roundabouts or communal gardens provide opportunities for delicious fresh produce. With this thinking at its heart, Incredible Edible was formed in Todmorden way back in 2008, and has now blossomed (or should that be fruited?) into a global movement.

Learn more of the Incredible Edible story from co-founder Pam Warhurst in the latest episode of the Carbon Copy Podcast.

Incredible Edible Ruthin Community garden - producing healthy food together. — A Incredible Edible community garden in Ruthin.

2. Let’s cultivate curious, healthy kids.

With nearly a quarter of children leaving primary school clinically obese, there is more need than ever to ensure the next generation has access to nutritious, fresh and affordable food. Trees for Cities Edible Playgrounds project was created to help schoolchildren to learn where their food comes from, and to support them to grow and prepare produce themselves.

3. Grow local, eat global.

Food is an amazing way to connect with people from around the world, and to connect with other cultures. In Edinburgh, Granton Community Gardeners meet each week to cook and eat a community meal, with produce grown in their thriving allotment. With attendees and volunteers from over a dozen different countries, this initiative demonstrates that growing food locally can grow community connectedness locally as well!

Hear from Granton Community Gardeners on the Carbon Copy Podcast.

Mary, cofounder of Granton Community Gardeners, one of the projects being supported by Nature Neighbourhoods. Mary, an older lady originally from Kenya, is standing in the garden holding a trowel. It is a sunny day and she is surrounded by greenery. Below her is a sign saying "All Welcome Granton Community Garden" — Mary – Cofounder of Granton Community Gardeners.

4. Tomato or tomato not to be? Well, it depends on the season.

Producing food locally is not always the most sustainable option. Most fruit and veg has a specific growing and harvesting season, and outside of this, produce will be imported or grown in artificially adjusted conditions; e.g. heated greenhouses. Both importing food, and growing food off-season in the UK has significant climate impacts, however where fruit and veg can be transported by road or rail, growing abroad in a more suitable climate is often the better option. Tomatoes are one of our biggest challenges when it comes to year-round demand. People in the UK eat, on average, two fresh tomatoes per week; but with only a three-month the natural growing season here, opting to eat only when in season would require many to make a significant behaviour change.

5. Vertical is the new horizontal.

Liverpool-based social enterprise Farm Urban has been turning the concept of food production on its head with its innovative, replicable ‘Greens For Good’ model; using vertical towers to grow salad and greens in the city centre. Its produce is zero-pesticide, uses less water than conventional farming methods and is delivered locally to businesses and households by bicycle.