Why do we need it?
Our Food Supply is at risk
Climate change is driving extremes of weather, whilst Covid and world events have exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains. The UK imports more than £9bn of fruit and vegetables every year, from places as far away as Canada and South Africa.
Farm production is increasingly variable and hard to predict, making the security of our UK supplies more precarious.
Climate Change Impacts of Food
This pie chart shows how 28% of the UK’s climate change impacts come from food production
The impacts of food on climate change themselves are not well appreciated. Food contributes more than 25% of climate change gases into the environment. And this is going to increase, both as a proportion and as an amount in future.
It seems unsustainable that we should import tomatoes from Spain, a place where water supplies are at risk, to the rainy UK, when they are mostly made of water.
Air-freighting green beans from, say, Kenya, multiplies their carbon footprint by ten times compared with locally grown crops.
Growing more here…
There is increasing recognition that the solution is in our hands:
Growing here regains control of supply chain uncertainties whilst reducing carbon impacts.
It can increase skills in the UK, as we use technology to solve our supply issues, providing year-round, reliable employment with the opportunity for careers in agritech.
We think that Aiskew Agritech Park is an intelligent and proportionate approach to allow us to start to replace some of the food imported from abroad
Why Aiskew?
The current Local Plan for Hambleton notes that the key economic strengths lie in agriculture, food manufacture, professional services, manufacturing, distribution and retail. This is a place where food is already grown, manufactured and produced.
The Plan recognises the need to support the future growth and diversification of agriculture.
Meanwhile, the York & North Yorkshire LEP priorities are for the area to be a global leader in food manufacturing, agritech and biorenewables.
How will Aiskew Agritech Park help?
The Park will provide a location where this important industry can find a home. By co-locating occupiers can take advantage of the economies of scale of large facilities – suppliers, distribution and reliable energy supplies bring benefits that make growing food here reliable and viable.
The software, robotics and bio-tech innovation required for these facilities will provide new, hi-tech jobs, in the heart of the rural area, allowing young people to build careers in North Yorkshire. An academic campus planned for the site will bring education and learning right next door to the companies on site.
Community spaces and experimental farms will also allow everyone to learn how to grow better, and how to grow their own food and plants, developing new connections between agriculture, industry and local people.
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