This is the fifth and final installment of this series; read the first piece “Food Is a Necessity — Before, During and After the War,” the second, “Agriculture Is Just Like Water and Electricity,” the third and fourth “What a Waste — We Need to Fix How We Deal With Food Waste“.
After the start of the war when we cooked, volunteered to pick tomatoes, and lined up to purchase local produce, we realized our strongest asset was our community network, the civilian community.
In Afula, the local community joined forces to provide a temporary home to 50 evacuated families. At first, they brought them trays of cooked meals every day, but as the temporary was becoming a new norm, questions of sustainability started rising. Finally, the community collected reusable kitchen utensils, and turned an apartment into a food warehouse. Each family could access it for groceries and cook according to their taste. There were no longer prepared food trays, but a sense of home.
Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, which opened its gates to evacuees from Nahal Oz near Gaza, announced it will host them for another year. Hundreds of similar stories prove we have replaced temporary thinking with sustainable thinking.
As we have seen all throughout the series, we want the state to become part of the picture. Here’s how:
1. A solid, strong food security system, ensuring no one in Israel suffers from food insecurity.
2. For agriculture to be perceived as a strategic asset, with long-term investments.
3. An infrastructure for farmers markets that will operate side-by-side with food chains and city markets.
4. Regulation that will prevent food waste.
Major changes are never easy, and the centralization in the food industry will not end overnight. But each one of us can do something, even right now. For example, get out of the supermarket and get in touch with our community. The wisdom of the crowd and our community network have a lot to contribute when it comes to food.
In the beginning of 2024, a farmer protest broke out in Europe, with broad public support. In Israel, the farmers are far worse off, but their protest has no significant resonance with the general public. Can our community network prove its power here as well, and motivate change?