A ‘Food Forever’ event will be held 28 March, from 2 to 4.30pm at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall, with local group Relocalise Northern Rivers and Local Futures.
Organisers say the event will start with a recorded conversation US localisation expert, economist and lawyer Michael Shuman.
‘Michael is a US lawyer and economist who has dedicated his career to successfully guiding communities across North America towards the security and sustainability of local investment’.
‘We will then facilitate the building of community action groups for issues such as:
•Access to land, support for harvesting/growing
•Access to more customers
•Affordable housing for farmers and growers
•Raising public awareness about the need for more farming to feed our local population
‘We hope to see motivated groups form that commit to start working towards solid goals together. So bring your ideas and let’s see what we can make happen! ‘All of us from Local Futures and Relocalise Northern Rivers are here to support this process in any way we can.
Why build a local food movement?
‘With our food sources becoming increasingly globalised and centralised, we’re losing access to healthy, fresh food that’s grown locally’.
‘We’re all too familiar with the impacts of bush fires, floods and the pandemic on the food supply. Once roads become blocked or borders closed, the impacts on the supply chains are visible within a couple of days on our supermarket shelves.
‘Empty shops are a strong indication that most of the food consumed here is trucked in from outside our region. We shouldn’t be this vulnerable to economic, environmental or political challenges that will keep coming – especially as we live in such a fertile region.
‘We’re eternally grateful to our farmers’ markets that have been the one reliable source to support the production of food in this region.
‘Let’s come together to explore the many options available to us to support the growth and production of food in this region. Together we can make our local food system resilient and abundant!’, say organisers.
Food Forever: Building support for local farming
Saturday 28 March
2-4:30pm
Mullumbimby Civic Hall
$5 (kids free)
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