Food security is increasingly recognised as a problem facing urban populations in developed countries like Australia as well as in the developing countries of the global south. Recent disasters, especially floods, have highlighted the fragility of food supply lines in Australian cities. Urban food security, urban resilience and climate change is a NCCARF-funded project that explored urban agricultural practices through a critical review of relevant literature and case study research in two major Australian cities. It found that urban agriculture has the potential to play a greater role in strengthening the food security of Australian cities and building urban resilience in a changing climate.
What if the world’s population of around 7 billion were just a village of 100 people? A series of posters titled If The World Were A Village Of 100 People illustrates global statistics in a thought-provoking way, including food, water, energy, and air.
Five NSW funding rounds are open for applications in February-March 2013.
They are:
The UK NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) Knowledge Exchange Program on Sustainable Food Production aims to enhance the use of science in making UK food production systems more environmentally sustainable.
The International Network for Urban Agriculture (INUAg) is based in Chicago, USA serving a global membership. INUAg envisions communities worldwide reconnected to the production of their food. INUAg’s mission is to inspire and foster urban farming through networking, education, and advocacy.
Once held up as the epicentre of industrialised mass production, Detroit has for decades been portrayed as a failed economy beset with every kind of urban problem. However, The Conversation article Urban farming in Detroit: sowing seeds of hope in the motor city? discusses how in recent years a different narrative has been emerging, with some observers embracing the idea of Detroit as an “urban laboratory”, a city that provides opportunities to experiment with cutting-edge urban practices.
The 3rd National Sustainable Food Summit addresses ‘how do we get to where we need to go?’, mapping out how transformational change might occur within our food system over the next 50 years with a focus on immediate and emerging priorities. This event is the largest and most diverse gathering of practitioners interested in the sustainability of our food system, and attracts delegates with interests across the food supply chain, including primary producers, manufacturers, retail brands, and members of the business, government, education, public health, community and not-for-profit sectors.
The Australian Government is developing Australia’s first ever National Food Plan with the aim of fostering a sustainable, globally competitive, resilient food supply that supports access to nutritious and affordable food. You can give feedback on the green paper by providing a written submission or contributing to online discussion on the National Food Plan blog. The consultation period ends on 30 September 2012.
A new coalition of community food advocates, the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA), has initiated the development of the People’s Food Plan. Over the next three months the Alliance wants to hold a series of kitchen table discussions and public forums around Australia, to collect your views on how we will feed ourselves. You are invited to contribute by hosting an event or participating in the focused discussions. Please express your interest by emailing info@foodsovereigntyalliance.org.
Grow the Planet helps you grow your own organic vegetables in a smart, fun and social way. An easy step-by-step tutorial will take you from seeding to harvesting.