We are all farmers now.

Our morning manning a PFFA stall in Ramsgate town centre, Friday 3rd May. 

Having agreed to spearhead the local dissemination of information concerning the looming Food Shortages, my partner, Angie McKenzie and myself set up a street stall in Ramsgate, Kent in order to talk with local residents and hand out leaflets.

For once, the sun was actually shining on us as it was the several interested people who dropped by to find out what we were up to.

Many already knew of the waterlogged fields, but hadn’t quite made the connection with possible food shortages and the steep rise in prices. 

Although most didn’t actually have their own gardens, they were nevertheless keen on the idea of a communal space in which we could all grow some emergency food supplies and share them amongst the most needy.

The people ranged from elderly ladies with their shopping trollies to a retired journalist from The Times newspaper, all contributing something to the debate and the consensus that, with all the other issues we have all been through over the last four years, the prospect of having to struggle to buy food was one issue too far and that something had to be done. 

One of our visitors was a local herbalist who takes interested people on foraging walks along our seafront to identify the local “Food For Free”.

What we are finding is that finally many people are realising that something is desperately wrong with the status quo and are increasingly relieved to find the opportunity to open up and talk to someone. 

Most were happy to leave email addresses to enable us to follow up with further information as and when.

It was a breath of fresh air when a couple of young girls in their late teens joined us for a chat and we realised how “awake” they were to the many scurrilous things that are still plaguing our lives.

We are planning to continue the weekly street stall throughout the Summer and have been encouraged by one of our local town councillors putting out an appeal for spare land, which could be repurposed for food.

Meanwhile, as we go out and about, we always carry a supply of leaflets so that, when we engage with strangers, we can further promote the ideas behind the PFFA.

Nick Cooper and Angie McKenzie