In this op-ed piece, ACT Minister for the Environment, Rebecca Vassarotti invites Canberrans to have their say on the Food and Fibre Strategy for the ACT, which looks at how to nurture a thriving, sustainable agriculture sector to bolster local food security:
Images of empty supermarket shelves across the country during the pandemic have left a lot of us uneasy.
Here in Canberra, it was noticeable that those of our shops and markets that access local and regional food supplies often did better than those relying on shipping it in from long distances across the country.
While this might be a first time for many of us here in Canberra, when Brisbane was hit by a major flood in 2010, the city was just days from running out of food.
We might not consider it as a risk, but the last few months have highlighted the need for local food security. Over 90 per cent of our fresh leafy green and fruit supply comes from Sydney, which is a clear vulnerability for our community.
We know that climate change will result in natural disasters being more frequent and severe. It would be foolish for us to continue our reliance on external fresh food supply. We must look to the wonderful local food producers that are here in the nation’s capital – sometimes as close as our backyards.
When I was elected as the ACT’s Minister for the Environment, I began reviewing the ACT’s agriculture policy. It became clear to me that we need a plan that identifies how the ACT and the surrounding region can achieve a flourishing, sustainable and resilient food and fibre sector.
Cities around the world such as Seattle, Toronto, Barcelona and even Melbourne have invested in urban agriculture and worked to protect agricultural areas around them. In doing so, they have created jobs, local manufacturing, new businesses, reduced climate emissions, and connected their population to local growers for cheaper, healthier food.
The jobs and investment we can grow from local food is exciting, but we must ensure that at the heart of any new vision for our food system is food justice. We need to ensure healthy fresh food is accessible and affordable for every Canberran. There are so many opportunities that flow from this work – we know that food can connect us, we can learn from each other, and we can connect better with the beautiful country we live on.
To begin our journey to a more sustainable and equitable food system, we have released a discussion paper for Canberrans to have their say. We want to hear the community’s ideas about how we achieve this vision.
As we continue to develop a Food and Fibre Strategy for the ACT, the discussion paper will inform us on how to nurture a thriving agriculture sector that is founded on ecological sustainability and community wellbeing.
The Food and Fibre Strategy will provide a new approach to how and where we produce food. It will build local systems that strengthen access for everyone to fresh, healthy and affordable food, provide economic opportunity including job creation, and support strong community participation and inclusion.
We are blessed with an incredible opportunity to inspire and facilitate a sustainable food and agriculture system for the ACT and surrounding region.
Let’s work together to ensure we achieve food security that is ethical, sustainable, resilient, innovative, and accessible to all.
Click here to read more about the Food and Fibre Strategy for the ACT and to have YourSay before 27 February 2022.
- By Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens MLA for Kurrajong and the Minister for the Environment
