The Incredible Edible model of community food development originated in the small post-industrial town of Todmorden in the UK nearly a decade ago. With a focus on growing edible plants on underutilised small pieces of land, developing skills and supporting local businesses, the IE model is widely perceived to have played a key role in transforming the town both through economic uplift and by improving everyday living environments. Moreover, this has been achieved largely without the help of existing political / civil society structures or external resources, instead relying on volunteers living within the town. Its success has stimulated the establishment of hundreds of other Incredible Edible groups across the UK and overseas who pursue the same goals, inspired by the achievements in Todmorden.
The Incredible Edible approach directly tackles issues of food sovereignty by developing growing and cooking skills and an awareness of the productive capacity of their locality and the impact of food consumption on the environment and human health. The model also addresses community capacities to act by stressing the importance of action rather than words and not waiting for permission, funding or recognition. An inclusive, holistic approach is illustrated by the guiding principle ‘if you eat, you are in’.
This paper will report on recent research that set out to elucidate the Incredible Edible model, as pursued in Todmorden, and critically assess its potential as a community-led framework for improving social, economic and environmental wellbeing. In particular, it explores how the model is conceptualised and communicated by the group, how this compares with actual practice and some of the factors mediating variance from the model. In addition, the study develops both practical policy recommendations to support self-starting food oriented community groups and seeks to contribute to our understanding of the unique role of food as a substantive focus for community development.
The study uses a participatory mixed methods approach, incorporating both qualitative approaches (interviews, focus groups) and quantitative methods (a community survey, a social return on investment study) to derive a holistic account of the evolution of the model and its impact in the town, incorporating a theory of change and narrative based analysis. The paper concludes by setting out a longer-term research trajectory that aims to develop a comparative approach between Incredible Edible groups and between the model and other similar grassroots approaches to food production, for example those embodied within La Via Campesina movement.
