Food strategy a fresh plan for nurturing link between producers and consumers

Minister Rebecca Vassarotti and Member for Yerrabi Andrew Braddock announcing the Canberra Region Local Food Strategy. Photos: Lucy Ridge.

The ACT Government has released the Canberra Region Local Food Strategy. The $455,000 initiative comes after a lengthy and detailed consultation process with local stakeholders in the food, farming and community sectors.

Launched at award-winning venue Such and Such, Minister for the Environment, Parks and Land Management Rebecca Vassarotti spoke about the need for such a strategy in light of economic and commercial circumstances.

“Here in the ACT, like everywhere in Australia, we are faced with a supermarket duopoly. Particularly in this cost-of-living crisis, we are seeing prices increase and we’re seeing real price gouging,” Ms Vassarotti said.

“We are looking at supporting our local food production so we can ensure we connect local people to local producers, we are producing more local food, it is done in a sustainable and ethical manner and we’re looking to make sure it’s climate-wise, affordable and accessible across Canberra.”

The funding commitment will go towards a Local Food Chain Infrastructure Study, which will build on the data obtained in the ongoing Agriculture and Food in the ACT Study. These studies aim to quantify the current state of the food system in the Canberra region and identify opportunities to assist local producers in getting their food to Canberra markets while removing systemic barriers.

Land Management Agreements with rural landholders in the ACT will also be reviewed, with the government aiming to improve the flexibility of land use and increase food production.

“The Local Food Chain Infrastructure Study will help inform where we can best direct our resources to support small farmers in the ACT, strengthening access to healthy, affordable food,” Ms Vassarotti said.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr stated: “The Canberra Region Local Food Strategy will improve the capacity of the local food system, creating jobs and diversifying the economy.

“Producing more food locally will also help reduce food transportation, making it easier for Canberrans to purchase fresher food.”

The strategy aims to improve Canberrans’ access to locally produced food.

President of the ACT Rural Landholders Association of Farmers Fred McGrath Weber also spoke positively about the strategy. He said farmers had been calling for recognition and policy support for a long time, so they were excited about the opportunities it presented.

“Reduced regulation and red tape [will] enable us to do more to help out with the cost-of-living crisis by producing more local food, but also look at how food and agriculture can benefit Canberra more broadly: the environment, stewardship and everything farmers do.”

Mr McGrath Weber also pushed back on assumptions that local food is unaffordable, instead urging people to reconsider how and where they buy food and to look at overall quality.

Ms Vassarotti said developing the strategy had helped bring the local food sector together with better networking and collaboration between organisations. The previously consulted community reference group will be reconvened to work on the food chain infrastructure study and other ongoing projects coming out of the strategy.

The community reference group is made up of representatives from bodies such as The Capital Region Farmers Market, Southern Harvest Association, Canberra Organic Growers Society, and Ngunnawal representatives, among others.

The strategy will also look into land use more broadly across the ACT, possibly using government land at heritage sites for food production. There will also be a focus on highlighting available resources for Canberrans to grow their own food.

The funding covers the first year of implementation, with the strategy looking to develop significant projects by 2029.

The Canberra Region Local Food Strategy is available on the ACT Environment Department website.

Lucy Ridge is also participating in the community reference group as a volunteer representative of the farmer-led civil society organisation, the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance.