Through consumption of local agriculture produce, the local farming community will not be the only stakeholder to benefit but also will society at large. The farm-to-fork concept means produce travels much less until it arrives at the consumer, hence, rendering it much fresher while contributing towards the reduction of the carbon footprint.

Due to the scale factor of arable land, local farmers face higher operational costs when compared to European counterparts. On the other hand, small holdings can offer different opportunities such as agritourism.

Organic farming is too scale-related. Due to the intense fragmented small holdings, conversion from conventional to organic farming needs to be conducted on a regional scale where a number of farmers offer to commit themselves towards such a goal. This is only possible if the political will exists and is not something anyone expects to occur overnight but over a period of time.

Not only does Malta’s organic farming represents a negligible fraction of the whole industry but, also, today we probably stand to have the highest levels of pesticide use within the EU territory.

Latest revelations show that one in every five locally-produced fruit or vegetables tested were found to exceed the amount of legally-permitted pesticides and none of the imported products examined failed the test.

Malta does not have relevant laboratory facilities and samples have to be flown abroad for testing at a hefty cost.

No government managed to secure adequate funds to set up such testing facilities, not even from the EU.

It seems our health is not a priority anymore.

Not only is the situation degenerating into a public health and environmental concern but it is also serving as a disincentive for consumers to opt for local produce. A case of shooting at our own feet.

Alternattiva Demokratika in Parliament would push for quick action to redress the situation.