The intersection of housing, interest rate rises and food and how food security can be achieved for the Northern Rivers was under discussion yesterday in Ballina at a roundtable that sought to understand the future of sustainable food systems in the region.
The roundtable was initiated in response to findings and recommendations of a joint study released in June this year by local community organisation Plan C and UTS and was co-hosted by Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD), Sustain: The Australian Food Network and the University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Institute for Sustainable Futures.
‘Our region has recently been named the most disaster prone region in the state,’ Fiona Berry, Research Principal at the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures told The Echo.
‘There are increasing challenges for food security and nutrition. Natural disasters as a result of climate change, disruptions to the food supply chain from the COVID 19 pandemic, the increasing cost of living and housing, and population growth, are all challenges to our food security,’ Ms Berry said.
‘These global challenges can further compound an individual’s situation, depending on their home environment, income, distance to food outlets and knowledge of food preparation and nutrition.’
The 2023 Foodbank Hunger Report highlighted that during the last year, the cost of living crisis has affected food security, with three million households in Australia going from being food secure to food insecure.
‘The percentage of people who are food insecure is increasing and the report identified that 36 per cent of Australians are now food insecure. That’s a third of people who can’t access quality, nutritional, affordable food. They begin shrinking or skipping meals etc,’ explained Ms Berry.
Encroaching urban development
Ms Berry explained that as land and housing become a commodity land prices go up and as we are seeing here in the Northern Rivers farming becomes less profitable. However, during disaster like the 2022 flood roads are cut off and access to food can become challenging.
‘Last year there was a NSW Inquiry into food production and supply with the report suggesting that our planning laws need to look at food production and security throughout the state,’ said Ms Berry.
‘Food should take as high of a priority as housing and infrastructure. But it is being overlooked. You can live without a house but you can’t live without food. Food a basic human right. We need to look at a reorientation of the food system to look at what we grow and where we grow it so that people can access quality, nutritional, affordable food.’
Director of Sustain: the Australian Food Network, Nick Rose said the roundtable marked the beginning of the long-term planning required for a resilient and sustainable regional food system.
‘The plan will seek to enhance food security, address vulnerabilities in the system and provide affordable, healthy, accessible and culturally appropriate food for the community,’ Mr Rose said.
‘We are at an inflection point in 2023, with the climate emergency plus the cost-of-living crises making more and more communities, governments and organisations focus on what is real and important, starting with access to healthy and fresh food and food security for all.’
A report will be developed following the roundtable to continue NNSWLHD’s advocacy and collaboration on food sustainability in Northern NSW.
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