There’s a new plan for change for Australia’s food system and its based in community…here’s Growing Change’s ten ideas for food policy

As momentum and interest grows for communities to participate in decisions around what food they are to eat and how it is produced, the issue of Why we need to change the food system is being discussed at a range of forums around the country. These are in response to the Australian Government’s National Food Plan process, which has seen a discussion policy draft, a green paper and several community consultations. Unfortunately the enthusiastic response in submissions from a range of community and research interests were not acknowledged in the green paper and as a result the idea for a democratic, inclusive process to formulate a People’ Food Plan was born.

Inspired by the process used by the People’s Food Plan project in Canada to formulate their Resetting the Table policy document, a draft discussion paper has been compiled by the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance to initiate discussion about the values, principles and best practice of a plan for our food system that has everyone’s interests at heart, and not just industry. As Costa Georgiadis says in his foreword to the discussion paper, ‘Food is the one activity that brings us all together’.

One intention is for the forums to provide the impetus for Kitchen Table Talks around the country over the next few months, and the ideas generated and discussed will feed into the People’s Food Plan to be further developed early in 2013.

Drawing on the excellent Canadian work, Growing Change has a vision of forward-thinking policy for the food system that contains the following 10 points:

1. Work with the whole community to create a vision of a sustainable, resilient, and healthy food and farming system locally that celebrates local foods and diverse food cultures

2. Support and protect current ecologically sustainable food sources, such as good culture, subsidizing growers of locally distributed and consumed seasonal fresh produce.

3. Support people’s rights as citizens entitled to a nutritious diet, with all community members actively participating in key decisions that affect the food system and in tackling excessive concentrations of corporate power at key points in Australia’s food system

4. Develop regional food strategies overseen by a Minister of Food and Local Food Policy Councils

5. Audit land suitable for food production and protect peri-urban land from development for food production

6. Reconfigure existing infrastructure in empty housing, neighbourhood and community centres, schools and churches and utilise railway and state owned land to establish Community Food Centres, organising these in regional food clusters that provide employment and training

7. Fund a national peak body for the community food sector or a Centre of Excellence in Food Systems Research, focused on agro-ecological approaches to food production and integrated food systems functioning, to provide support for proactive multi-purpose food projects and approaches to making communities more self reliant at maintaining and developing food systems that address food and nutrition issues in the community

8. Enhance climate change and food literacy in the whole community, schools and adults via curriculum development and funded national programs

9. Invest in skills development of a new generation of food producers and re-skill farmers in the transition to expanded agro-ecological production with a living wage, that re-integrates environmental priorities into production decisions

10. Implement food production, processing and trading processes that reduce waste and develop innovative methods of nutrient reuse eg. Large-scale compost production facilities with associated energy production. This could also include investing in food processing equipment such as Reindeer Machinery flour mills with a low environmental impact and no wastage. To learn more about the benefits of using Reindeer Machinery flour mills, go to: https://www.reindeermachinery.com/flour-mill-atta-chakki-manufacturers/.

Change does require courage and strength and focusing on food is the fuel to drive that change. Being part of a conversation about what we want from our food system provides communities with opportunities to participate in transformation needed for a sustainable food future.