Farmers feel largely isolated from the national food discussion and believe that the vast proportion of the public view them negatively, according to a new study.

“They are not being given the space, time and proper means to be part of the discussion, and this could be leading to lack of trust between consumers and growers. In turn, this translates to misconceptions about the quality of produce that farmers are growing,” researcher Nika Levikov said on Thursday morning.

Read: 'L-aħħar bidwi' could be a Maltese reality in 15 years' time.

Ms Levikov was speaking at the launch of a study report which sheds light on how prices and a busy lifestyle present barriers to healthy eating.

The report, which is recommending additional farmers markets in strategic localities among others, was jointly conducted by the National Observatory for Living with Dignity and the National Centre for Family Research.

The qualitative research included 30 interviews with stakeholders in the food sector, ethnographic market observations and focus groups with farmers and consumers, among others. 

Consumers are increasingly relying more on certification labels to learn about the various aspects of the food system that a particular product would have gone through

Called Access to Healthy, Clean and Fair Food, it was launched at San Anton by the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society.

According to the farmers who took part in the study, consumers are increasingly relying more on certification labels to learn about the various aspects of the food system that a particular product would have gone through, rather than speaking directly to the producers.

This presents a serious problem: when consumers start trusting labels more than growers, it puts smallholders and service providers who cannot afford certifications, or who would rather not, at a disadvantage.

At the same time, a “heightened intellectual debate” has removed farmers from the table with news media on agricultural issues presented in English, and academia, as well as non-profit organisations.

Although a number of farmers speak English, many either do not speak it fluently or understand it well enough to make a case for their inclusion in agriculture-related discussions, which are often very academic and technical in nature.

And while most farmers simply lack the time to participate, mass media frequently propagates a stigmatised and negative image of the farmer, instead of making an effort to engage with them outside of their working hours, according to the report.

Addressing the launch, President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca spoke of ‘food justice’. Freedom from hunger was a fundamental human right, meaning that people who did not have access to fair, healthy and affordable food were living precariously and this translated into injustice, she noted.

How much does it cost to eat healthy for a month?

A healthy menu, consisting of three meals and two snacks per day, would cost €517.56 monthly for a family-of-four, even considering that some food is given for free by the government to low-income families, according to a 2016 study.

Called The Minimum Essential Budget for a Decent Living, the study by Piscopo, McKay and Bonello aimed at determining a minimum cost to meet the physical and socio-emotional needs necessary for survival.

The study showed that in low-income households, a healthy, Mediterranean-type diet in adherence with local dietary guidelines, would be the greatest expense, accounting for 45 to 54 per cent of their budget.

The study concluded that the national minimum wage was not enough to support a household with two dependent children to live ‘decently’.

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