The subject of food could hardly be more important to any of us at this time. Over the last three years, in particular, we have seen an array of threats to our food security emerge in this country and across the world.

Small farms are under threat from the ever-increasing restrictions being placed upon them under the guise of "saving the planet." While some of these measures are both necessary and appropriate, there is abundant evidence that small farms are being targeted unfairly and disproportionately.

Industrial-scale agriculture is responsible for the majority of environmental issues, including emissions, pollution, water extraction and depletion of the soil. Small farms, on the other hand, which collectively produce most of the world's food, invariably operate in harmony with the environment since to do so guarantees their future. Yet it appears that, often, the small producers of food are carrying an unfairly weighty share of the burden.

Decisions are also being made on the basis that genetically modified and artificially produced food is the only way everyone in the world is going to have enough to eat, yet it appears this is not the case. Additionally, great swathes of the world are still decimated by famine and ongoing starvation. Even in "developed" nations, many people are malnourished due to the low nutritional quality of food - in addition, the cost of food is now an issue for many people.

This debate - the second in a series - will begin to explore the wider issues of food, giving light to a much-needed new approach in how we ensure we all have enough to eat, but also that our food nourishes us. The subject of food needs to be considered in combination with the subject of health. Our health, as well as the health of future generations and the wellbeing of our natural environment, depends upon us doing so.

There is no better time than now for a debate on all these issues to commence. Furthermore, a debate on food needs to involve the general public, the very people who eat it - we, the consumers.

The purpose of this debate is to gain and share as many different insights and viewpoints as is possible. These insights and viewpoints will come from growers, producers, farmers and people who run businesses founded on food - and importantly, from people like you and us - the consumers of food.

Finally, one may think it's a strange thing to occur - the community coming together to debate something which is usually only in the domain of government. From many people's perspectives, however, the size of this food problem - which potentially now requires a more philosophical approach to solving the issues - is actually seen as too large a task for just 650 representative SMPs to deal with alone.