Permaculture in Action

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Food Security

I heard today on the radio how Australia's largest Agribusiness has had an offer made on it by an overseas company. The rest of the world apparently can see the benefit of investing in Australian agribusinesses because of the potential Asian market. And apparently Australia needs overseas investment because we don't have enough capital of our own. But the politician speaking on the radio announced that we ordinary Australians need to get behind our businesses and support them so we don't have to look for overseas investment. But apparently (that word again) we don't understand the need for food security and/or food sovereignty. And here he meant just the ordinary Aussie not big corporations.

Now I find this very interesting for a number of reasons.

Lets take a look first of all at people like Dick Smith who are putting their names and their money behind promoting Australian goods and services. Dick himself is putting large amounts of money into local food processing plants, with large amounts of advertisement to get the message across to the ordinary person that we have to secure our food.

And then there is the Food Sovereignty Alliance who has done a lot to connect others who are interested and to lobby government about food security issues. Only last year the government formed a group to look at food sovereignty issues and failed to invite the Alliance to contribute, inviting instead large companies with vested interests such as transport companies, and large supermarkets. And we all know how concerned they are about food security! The Alliance formed their own group and asked local communities to have their say in what they would like to see happen in regards to this issue. These thoughts were collated and sent into the government.

There is the Slow Food movement who are also very aware of these issues and do a number of things to inform the public. The Biodynamic Group and Organic Growers groups, Permaculture people, People forming food co-ops, home gardeners, community gardeners etc etc. These people know and do a lot for food sovereignty..

 I get a little tetchy when advertisers, pollies, marketers and the media use the terms 'we all want'', ''everybody knows'', ''all Australians are unaware of Food Sovereignty''.....

This week we had two groups visit the farm for a tour and lunch. The first group was from a local mental health unit having a staff team building day. Health professionals looking at ways to incorporate the growing of food as a way of enhancing their clients well being. They understood the need for growing some of their own food and sourcing local as much as possible and eating seasonally. They may not be doing everything about those things yet but they were aware of these issues.

And the second group is participating in a program that looks to support young children and their families. In this instance they are being helped to grow food, to learn about and try some new vegetables. This group were also very much aware of some of the issues concerning our food security. They talked about food in supermarkets being harvested early because they were trucked long distances, and then sprayed with chemicals to artificially ripen them. They didn't want to eat that, so they planned to grow their own. They talked about chemicals being used on farms to grow their food, they didn't want to eat that so they planned to grow their own. They, in essence wanted more control over how the food they ate was being grown.

I think the grass roots movement of food conscious people is growing more and more. I don't like to be told that no one in Australia is aware of the issues when I know that so many people are. I don't like to hear of yet another one of our Agribusiness being sold overseas. But to blame that sale on the ordinary Aussie is a little unfair I think. What do you think?

Who is it that needs to do more?

15 comments:

  1. Go girl! You get tetchy! I'm right there with you. I think our govt. ought to be doing something to educate the general public on the importance of these matters. People won't act if they don't 'get it'. On the upside, I love that those groups are looking to learn more. I'm sure there's a big shift happening! When I went to 'march against Monsanto' one of the things I got very excited about was the fact that the two thousand odd people there were like minded. I imagine ALL of those people care about their food to the extent that they shop local, frequent farmer's markets etc. I'm excited to think that understanding is growing and hopefully one day soon we'll be the majority! Great thought provoking post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Linda. It's knowing that there are people like you out there doing such great things that allows me to think that we might just have a chance!

      Delete
  2. My thought is that no matter what the barriers are that separate us as Australian's, there is one thing that we all have in common. We all eat food. What better way to bring together the different factions of a movement than to combine efforts to have a louder voice. One that is listened to. You wrote about all the different groups that are aware of food security issues in Oz that are making their own mark. Wouldnt it be great to have a representative of each to form a lobby group that can petition and meet with politicians and 'big business' to tell them we are aware and that we do have power and that we do have a voice.

    Yet another Lynda.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lynda, a lot of these groups are represented in the Food Sovereignty Alliance which does lobby the Government.

      Delete
  3. Complex issue for sure, Kate. I agree that there are a lot of people who do care deeply about these issues and do what they can to make a difference. There are also a whole lot of people who seem to neither understand nor care about any of these things, either on account of "cost" or just plain old ignorance. Disappointingly, I feel as if there are more in the latter group than the former.

    I don't have any brilliant solutions to this, and I certainly am at a loss to know where the changes are best led from. What I do hope though, is that my little family have people in their life who care and value good, resilient and healthy food systems. Thank you to you and Mark for providing such a place at Purple Pear Farm :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have found it to be the same Cynthia in the past but I was pleasantly surprised by the thoughts of the group that came today. Yes there are a lot of people who don't care but every day there are more and more who do care and we need to focus there I think, as otherwise I know I can become very despondent. More and more people are coming to the farm to see what we do and we feel that that is a very positive s thing. hope to see you on the farm soon. We will be having a solstice festival at the end of the month. Email me if you're interested.

      Delete
  4. Mum, this is great, you are amazing and have a brilliant way of putting what so many of us are thinking into words. You are a quiet activist....send this information to someone...send it to the radio station you heard the politician on!

    Oh and I am interested in these business's that came to the farm, its the sort of work I am thinking I want to head into....

    love you,
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sarah that's a good idea and I'll send you the names of those groups. Love you. mum

      Delete
  5. Well done , Kate. I think there are alot of people out there spruiking that 'everyone' phrase and totally overlooking this amazing community we have that is linking through blogs and community groups. It really shows that the people complaining about how out of touch we are with the land are actually totally out of touch themselves.I only have to look at the community I work in to know that I know all these lovely families that are already out there growing their food and cooking from scratch. I think it won't be long before us sustainable living folk are the majority and the processed food eaters will be the minority...that'a a world I would like to see.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What the polly "really" meant when they suggested Australians need to get behind our businesses, is they want us to spend MORE to meet their projected growth for the economy. It has nothing to do with the average Australian feeding their family what they need, but the BIGGER is BETTER mindset for the average polly who wants a healthy bottom line to boast to Australians with.

    Even if every Australian suddenly went patriotic and didn't spend money on overseas owned companies and their products, the govt would still have to deal with a deficit problem, because the current govt overspent (in debt) on capital growth.

    Two outcomes can happen from over spending (or over investing) on capital. Firstly, boost investment, in this case from overseas. Or secondly, wind the projected growth back and slow down the economic cycle. Which one do you think politicians will favour? Labor would say, the latter will lose jobs and the Liberals would say, business would lose equity. Stalemate in other words. What difference will it make spending more on Australian owned business, when it's the politicians pushing how much we should grow to keep us in the lifestyles we've become accustomed too?

    When the govt sets the projected growth cycle, that's what determines how much capital is needed. I will suggest however, that a Coalition govt would probably favour change towards food sovereignty in Australia. Not by discouraging overseas investment, I may add, but simply by not clogging up the capital market with government control mechanisms. If people in Australia truly want to support their local growers and producers, they would have to pay less under a Coalition govt to run their operations - at least at a Federal level. State and local govts are two extra tiers, businesses have to pay to do business with.

    So much for choice, hey? I love politicians and their simple solutions, lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sadly, I think there's much truth in your reasoning of what the Govt. are really saying. Don't know about things being better under the Coalition. I do know that they should be doing the right thing and addressing this issue! Can't see that happening in a hurry though.

      Delete
    2. I agree with what your saying about the government but can't see that it would be any better under a different government. Call me naïve if you want but the only way to make things better is from a grass roots movement. I have been on this path for over 20 years and was very discouraged for most of that time with the total disinterest by the majority of those around me, but just lately I feel there has been a surge of people trying to make a difference. I certainly choose to believe that it is so as to choose otherwise is too soul destroying. I've got to believe that people care and can make a difference.

      Delete
  7. I figured the Coalition promo (on my part) would have been questioned, but that's a sign of a healthy democracy. I wouldn't want people to just take my word for it.

    When I suggested it wouldn't make a difference if Aussies stopped buying from companies owned by overseas investors though, I meant only in regards to the politicians comments, about requiring overseas investors for our capital shortfall. If you look at where the ass has fallen out of the Australian economy, it originated from the slump in overseas markets. We've LOST that revenue because of global economies, not our small (in comparison) domestic one. That's why we'll never meet our current capital shortfall by buying Australian owned. That was the point I was trying to make. :)

    Certainly, on a domestic level though, buying local helps support food sovereignty in Australia and that's what we should be aiming for. I didn't mean to suggest grass roots movements are pointless to support in that regard. They will be what saves us in the end - local business based on local need. When we started producing to meet demand from overseas (or even interstate) we started increasing the need for capital expenditure in agribusinesses. That money has to come from increasingly larger pools.

    When we turn to our own family needs though, and start looking for producers who operate on a limited radius of supply - we demand less need for capital. Unfortunately, that's not the kind of business politicians want us to pedal. Keep us in fear that we can't save ourselves, and politicians will always be assured of employment. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great post and thought provoking comments.

    ReplyDelete