Conference participants were offered printed copies of the SFFA's discussion sheets (download from this website), all of which were eagerly taken.
The CERES Food Project crew - which catered for one day of the conference - is a group of Turkish women who are being trained by chef, Rachel Sands, in a joint project of CERES and the Adult Multicultural Education Service. Trainees receive the Certificate 2, Kitchen Operations.
A social enterprise, the women prepare locally grown, seasonal foods as jams, chutneys, dips, olive products, dried fruit, pickles and sauces for sale through CERES Organic Market, CERES Cafe, local retailers and weekly farmers markets. The project trains the women to operate their own small food business while making use of seasonal peaks in locally grown, organic produce.
Food security a theme
The conference - which was supported by VicHealth, Collingwood Children's Farm, Garden of Eden and Cultivating Community - featured a full day on food security. Keynote speakers emphasised the importance or urban agriculture and local food systems. Some of the speakers who addressed a crowd numbered in the hundreds included:
David Holmgren, co-developer of the Permaculture design system, who sees greater capacity to utilise urban open space and suburban home gardens for food production which, he said, will be necessary because the peaking of the global oil supply will force up the cost of food delivered into our cities
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Mike Marston from the UK's Federation of City Farms and the Soil Association, who appeared from the UK via video link (the conference was carbon neutral, so international speakers appeared via electronic video and audio link)
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Dr Beverly Woods, a Melbourne university academic specialising in food security.
The event was organised by Cultivating Community, the Victorian contact of the ACFCGN that manages 20 community gardens for the Victorian Government's Department of Human Services as well as six schools participating in their school's garden-to-kitchen program in which children grow, prepare, cook and share the eating of produce grown in school food gardens.
February...
SFFA starts developing a Sydney Food Policy
The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance (SFFA) in February started the process of developing a food policy for the greater Sydney region.
The policy will be used to advocate for a fairer food system for the region and its residents and for the retention of the urban fringe market gardens and other agricultural enterprises that make Sydney largely self-sufficient in fresh vegetables.
The full day session, the first action in formulating the policy, was facilitated by Greg Jenkins, who is associated with the Sydney Facilitator's Group. Greg made use of the World Cafe technique of facilitation.
2006
Our launch - October
Jill Finnane reports on the launch of the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance at Parliament House on 17 October 2006 and on the inspiring addresses made by the speakers...
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Discussion sheets educate and inform
The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance has issued the first batch of its educational discussion sheets. You can reprint and distribute these, use them for school and university classes and distribute them through your community group or other organisation under the terms of the Creative Commons licence that appears on them...
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The Alliance -
our achievements
2007
Interviews with Sydney Food Fairness Alliance spokespeople and others broadcast on 2SERFM's Wednesday Daily program with Ange Owens
Presentation at the Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network annual conference, Melbourne - March
Coverage in Sydney Morning Herald, March
Start on development of Sydney Food Policy - February
Attendance at Illawarra Food Fairness Alliance organisational seminar, Wollongong, February
2006
Launch or Sydney Food Fairness Alliance, NSW Parliament, 17 October
Establishment of website and email listserver
Slow Food, Fair Food workshop with Vanessa John and Lizzie Rose at Randwick City Council's Ecoliving Fair '06
Production of discussion sheets for distribution to the public
Market Basket Survey of food prices in Sydney supermarkets
Submission to NSW government's Metro Strategy
First meetings to set up Sydney Food Fairness Alliance
Public seminar on food security 2005 - identifies need for Alliance
Local food systems advocate...
Local food systems advocate and author, Helena Norberg-Hodge, addressed an audience of hundreds attending the day on food security at the Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network annual conference in Melbourne
A label...
we would like to see
The Sydney Grown label would identify food produced within the greater Sydney region.
The idea, presently in is in its early stage of development, would boost the sales of locally grown vegetables, herbs and fruit and provide assurance to eaters that their food was regional in origin. The Sydney Grown label would support Sydney's$1 billion regional fresh food industry.
E D U C A T I O N • N E T W O R K I N G • A D V O C A C Y • R E S E A R C H
