Chamber and committees

That would be great. Rachael Hamilton has indicated that she would like to come in. Before she does, I have a question that follows on from Pam Gosal’s questions.

Governments come and go, but the policies that they put in place can have far-reaching effects. Recently, we have been taking evidence on asylum seekers and refugees. Some of the organisations that have given the committee evidence on the Illegal Migration Bill have said that it would breach the human rights of asylum seekers and refugees. We have been looking at the tensions and the use of devolved powers to mitigate the perceived harms. How would what we are talking about fit into that context? Professor Boyle is nodding her head so I will take that as an indication that she wants to comment.

Dr Webster, do you have any ideas or thoughts about including the people whom Professor Miller referred to? They are often the most disenfranchised and furthest from communication systems, and so are difficult to reach. What have other countries done that we could learn from to ensure that those voices are at the heart of the participatory process?

Professor Boyle, what do you think are the challenges in the participatory process? For example, might there be areas of contention around certain rights? We do not need to go into those rights because my colleagues will explore them further later. I am thinking about areas such as health, housing and education, and what is realistically achievable.

Sorry—Professor Boyle has indicated that she wants to come in, so I will bring her in first.

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the work of the Scottish Government to address potentially dangerous cladding on residential properties. (S6F-02113)

Small businesses are the beating heart of Glasgow’s economy and culture. My constituency is home to the Subversion gallery, which is located in the west end. As a small business, it is eligible for the small business bonus scheme, the benefits of which I know have been a lifesaver to many businesses across the country. Will the minister confirm how many Glasgow small businesses are eligible for the scheme and how much that has invested back into Glasgow’s economy?

Climate change and global population growth are often cited as major challenges to ensuring that our food supply is sustainable. Africa remains the most affected by the climate crisis, with rainfall increasing by around 30 per cent in wet regions and decreasing by 20 per cent in dry regions, which is a potent formula for failing crops and agriculture. To date, the African continent has experienced a 34 per cent overall drop in agricultural productivity as a result of climate change, according to the United Nations. However, it is not just on moral grounds that that should worry us, as we import fruits, vegetables, coffee and chocolate.

I thank the member for bringing that up. I remember the debate that was led by Stephen Kerr on gene editing, which I believe referred to potatoes and lemons. I will come back to that.

As well as fruits, vegetables, coffee and chocolate, we import fish—yes, fish—beef and nuts, to name but a few, from Africa. That is at a time when the United Nations predicts that the global population will increase to 9.7 billion people by 2050. I remind members that we are in 2023, and that is only 27 years away—some of us will be around for that. We are faced with more people and less food to feed them. We must sustain a healthy earth so that our earth can sustain a healthy us.

Added to the challenges that we face on food security across Scotland and the rest of the UK, as my colleagues have mentioned, is a hard Brexit that we did not vote for and do not want. The Centre for Economic Performance has confirmed that Brexit has caused the cost of EU food imports to increase by 6 per cent over a two-year period, in addition to global events that have caused many commodities to skyrocket in price. If we are having a serious discussion about future food sustainability, then aligning ourselves much more closely to our European neighbours, breaking down trade barriers and reversing Brexit must always remain on the table.

There are lessons that we can learn from our European partners, too. The European green deal has a farm to fork strategy at its centre. Like Scotland’s good food nation approach, it acknowledges that food sustainability is tackling climate change and that tackling climate change is promoting good food sustainability. Importing and exporting food and drink is our country’s past, present and future but, importantly, we must change our attitudes about where our food comes from. The nearer the farm is to the fork, the more sustainable that is by far as a way to keep our nation fed.

As I was previously a teacher, members would expect me to say that I firmly believe that education is the key to making healthy and sustainable choices about food. When people understand where their food comes from and when they develop an affinity with it, they make healthier choices about their consumption.

I absolutely agree. It is a shame that, many years ago, Conservative and Labour Governments undermined and took away kitchen facilities in schools. Maybe we can look at reinstating such facilities.

Last week, I raised the importance of farmers markets in nurturing people’s relationships with food, particularly for people who live in urban settings. They provide a direct link to where the bulk of our home-grown food comes from. The Woodlands Community Development Trust’s community garden, which is in my constituency, gives locals the ability to grow crops and enjoy that food together communally as a community. I have spoken with a number of businesses—particularly hospitality businesses—that have advocated the use of urban allotments, which would be transformational for our growing communities.

During the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26—I took part in an event at the Woodlands community garden, where delegates from Ghana told me how urgent they see the climate change situation as being. One delegate said, “Everyone is talking about climate change action for the future, but it is our present right now.”

Even food that is grown in Scotland has started to face volatility. Last year, low river water levels threatened crops, and the searing summer temperatures had an impact. That is why I bring my speech back to the point that, although we can talk about the food that we import from all corners of the globe and grow on our doorstep, if we do not slow down, stop and reverse the impacts of climate change, we will not be living in a world where our food is sustainable.

Our very ability to eat relies on our taking action to tackle climate change; action to deliver on our net zero obligations; action to ensure that retailers, producers and our schools educate all our children; and action to support our local farmers and producers.

I would always agree with that. The more we invest in our local producers, the better.

Every single member of this place will have grown up being taught about where their food comes from, whether that be through rhymes about Old MacDonald and his farm, about Little Bo-Peep, who lost her sheep, or about Mary and her little lamb, and let us not forget my favourite—“The Jeely Piece Song”. Unless young adults choose to pursue courses in home economics, hospitality or nutrition, our education about food seems to come to something of a stop after second year in high school.

In adult life, it is harder to make healthier and more sustainable food choices, particularly when the opposite of that is the more affordable option. In a cost of living crisis, that is a bit of an outrage. We must make healthier and more sustainable choices, and making better choices does not stop at what we buy and eat; it is also about how much we waste.