ENSURING access to affordable, fresh and locally grown fruit and vegetables for those in Bass Coast and South Gippsland Shires is the motivation driving the members of a newly formed alliance that has been awarded State Government funding.
The Bass Coast – South Gippsland Food Systems Alliance includes the councils of both shires, Bass Coast Health Service, Gippsland Southern Health Service, the Gippsland Region Public Health Unit and Community College Gippsland, along with various community organisations.
Four grassroots organisations will be responsible for providing the food required to make the project a success.
They are Korumburra’s Grow Lightly, Leongatha Community Garden and The Commons community farm, which it runs, as well as Buckley Park Community Farm in Fish Creek.
President of Leongatha Community Garden, Neil Barrett outlined the four key initiatives to be implemented, with these being:
1) The Mobile Grocer – “With fresh fruit and vegetables supplied by local producers, we’ll offer a service that regularly delivers to locations around South Gippsland and Bass Coast where people can go and access these quality products,” Neil said.
2) Preserve and Thrive – “It’s about capitalising on seasonal produce that’s produced in volume,” Neil said, noting the emphasis is on preserving food for later consumption when there are excess quantities for immediate demand.
3) To Market to Market – The focus is on providing fresh food to people in a way that is affordable to them. “That could be through some consumer-supported agricultural scheme, which we’re investigating and propose to implement,” Neil explained.
4) Healthy Soil, Healthy People – “That’s about education at all levels from childhood through to adult, and encouraging people to produce their own food, not just rely on the food system,” Neil said.
The $750,000 of funding, over three and a half years, came through a Vic Health Local Partnerships for Food First grant, with the Bass Coast – South Gippsland Food Systems Alliance one of nine successful applicants.
“There are a number of what we would describe as food deserts in South Gippsland and Bass Coast, where people, unless they have good mobility, don’t have good access to fresh local food,” Neil said, with that explaining the need for the alliance and government support.
A South Gippsland Shire Council spokesperson explained the importance of the alliance and how it ties in with council’s objectives.
“The alliance will help to build on local food initiatives in South Gippsland and Bass Coast and is consistent with the principles outlined in council’s Municipal Health and Wellbeing plan,” the spokesperson said.
Members of the alliance held a face-to-face workshop in late August, following a number of Zoom meetings.
About 30 people attended the workshop at the Korumburra Community Hub, with representatives of all the stakeholder organisations involved.
The workshop was about setting up the required governance for the alliance and determining how to proceed in achieving the intended initiatives.
A group of representatives of the alliance also attended Vic Health sessions in Melbourne, along with other successful grant applicants, with that helpful in generating ideas and understanding what others are doing in terms of food system changes.
Sentinel-Times will provide updates as the local food systems project advances.