Background to the Project

Addressing environment and sustainability challenges

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) identified three major challenges that threaten food security and nutrition:

  • climate change
  • using food crops as a fuel source and
  • rising food prices.

That report highlights the need to take a holistic approach to addressing these challenges.

The CSIRO has predicted:

  • more heatwaves
  • fewer colder and frosty days
  • more intense droughts and
  • more intense and sporadic rainfall (especially likely in the Northern Rivers).

As evidence of the latter, major weather events in the Northern Rivers (NR) in the recent past have resulted in significant crop losses, although it has also been suggested that the NR will be less impacted by climate change than other regions such as the Murray Darling Basin.

This project sought to mitigate climate change impacts associated with food production, distribution and consumption by reducing the reliance on food sourced from outside the region and increasing adoption of more sustainable food production practices.

The project also sought to enhance community resilience to climate change and peak oil impacts by keeping food affordable and accessible and tapping into local production capabilities.

Planning process

An extensive business planning process was undertaken during the latter part of 2009 with an intense process of consultation with partners and stakeholder including Councils, community and industry.  Workshops were held across the Northern Rivers and surveys used to establish project ideas.

The Business Plan was endorsed by each of the Northern Rivers Councils and Rous Water in December 2009.  The NSW Environmental Trust approved the Business Plan for implementation in March 2010.

Project Objectives

  1. Enhance the skills and tools of local government staff in the Northern Rivers to support the development of the local food supply network.
  2. Enhance community education on links between sustainability and buying food locally.
  3. Raise awareness of the community and businesses on how to improve soil health through increased organic waste recycling.
  4. Reduce organic waste to landfill by encouraging at source composting.
  5. Enhance community food knowledge and healthy lifestyles by increasing access to and awareness of, fresh local food.
  6. Support a reduction of transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions by shortening the food supply and distribution system in the Northern Rivers.
  7. Increase community resilience to potential future food shortages by reconnecting urban communities with regional food production.
  8. Strengthen the Northern Rivers local economy through the development of a sustainable (viable) food supply system.

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