How the food localisation and ecofrugalist movement is setting the agenda for preventing loss and waste in the food system

In a previous Growing Change blog, Seasons awry. Cherries in winter and forsaken oranges the issue of food loss and waste was raised. As we look for ways to decrease our carbon footprint there are a multitude of reasons to examine the issue further. The Malthusian line promoting the need for a productionist ethos of food growing to feed a world of more than 9 billion by 2050 needs revision, as it ignores the fact that we currently produce enough food in the world to feed everyone, yet nearly a billion people are undernourished. More of the same approach to food production and distribution in the future will make the task that much harder.

It is a sad fact that much food is lost after harvest or wasted as we worship at the alter of convenience and cheap commodities. Australians waste more than $5 billion worth of fresh food per year and the tragedy of this is that while that happens around 5% of people still go hungry around the country. Now some efficiencies are being made in food supply and distribution chains, with supermarkets supplying surplus food to food rescue organisations such as Food Bank, Second Bite and FareShare, bringing fresh produce or meals made from rescued food to those in need of a feed.

Food and its nutrients are too good to waste. The recently released US report Wasted. How America is losing up to 40% of its food from Farm to Fork to Landfill says “Even the most sustainably farmed food does us no good if the food is never eaten. Getting food to our tables eats up 10 percent of the total U.S. energy budget, uses 50 percent of U.S. land, and swallows 80 percent of freshwater consumed in the United States. Yet, 40 percent of food in the United States today goes uneaten”. Here in Australia the situation is probably comparable.

At the local government level a Yarra City Council waste audit found that up to 52.6% of domestic bin waste is organics. So what options do we have to minimise our impact on the environment from emissions generated when organic waste goes to landfill? One waste strategy with enormous buy-in currently is for large scale composting. Working in my previous role with Cultivating Community in recent years showed what can be achieved when the council and community and organisations come together to brainstorm solutions that turn “kitchen waste into garden gold”, as we used to say.

Ideas developed from the original Compost Mates project linking cafes with residents in the City of Yarra, who turned the waste to home compost, leading to a larger scale Neighbourhood Based Community Composting project, now with support from state government as well. This will see a closed loop demonstration project evolve from the community composting initiative in addition to community members learning not only the intricacies of compost creation, but also about better planning and shopping to reduce food waste. The ability to team with a city farm and restaurants has potential for food to be grown for restaurants and the waste collected and composted and used to enrich soil for new crops and fresh and tasty produce. And if they provide us with greenhouse growing lights for commercial uses, the crops and the produce will grow with much more ease than if they only had access to normal lighting. Win-win-win.

The Compost Champions initiative, on the Collingwood housing estate was another innovative initiative and a good way to include the community, local services and government departments with environment and urban agriculture activities to develop composting on the estate. Those involved became champions within their community to further spread the learning and behaviour change around food waste.

Compost has had such an elevated status and level of community interest that, with the help of composting enthusiast and all-round food growing aficionado, Costa, the Composters’ Composium was held by Cultivating Community in Fitzroy in 2011 to mark International Composting Awareness Week, providing hundreds in the community with a fun event of compost competitions, workshops, a ‘compost-off’ race, stalls, food and music (even the mayor was involved) – all in all a great community event. Its an idea that could take off around the country, given half a chance.

At The Backyard Pharmacy at Maison Bleue Costa’s composting tips have been put to great use by Monsieur le Composteur and we have 3 bays built from wooden pellets. Its an ongoing experiment of sources of carbon and nitrogen and their correct mix – all the while a worm-rich soil goes to the next crops of seasonal goodies and occasional treats for The Girls.

A Growing Change in community attitudes has led to countless blogs and sharing of composting tips and ideas. For example, did you know that the fall leaves that cover your garden and make a mess can be composted? Most people will gather them into piles and leave them there. However, new composting tips suggest buying a husqvarna backpack leaf blower and gathering these stray leaves before composting them. Eventually, they can then be used to help other areas of the garden grow. So get involved as we fertilise the future and realise the power of local action. It can have a tremendous impact in reducing waste and mitigating climate change, at the same time allowing us to improve our ability to grow healthy and nutritious fresh produce.