Location: Lismore
Status: Active
Partners: Richmond Landcare Inc., local farmers
Commencing with a pilot in the Northern Rivers area, we are working with local farmers, chefs and other partners to identify how best to support the ongoing production of healthy, low food mile produce in the region. This is a work in progress which complements the agricultural support provided to local food producers by Tweed and Byron Councils and Landcare networks in the Clarence and Nambucca Valleys.
Small scale farmers in the Lismore Node region face a multitude of challenges around access to suitable, affordable land, access to markets to sell produce and managing production within seasonal and climatic variability.
This project will benefit ‘early career’ farmers, helping them to avoid some of the identified pitfalls, build the business resilience of their farm, make connections to market produce at a profit and encourage community connection for a farming sector that is time poor and have experienced a suite of challenges in recent years.
The aim is to build understanding among new farmers of some key strategies to maintain a food production business amidst climatic and market access challenges. The inclusion of key local Landcare and community advisors will support extension to a wider group of the local food production community. The approach includes building improved connections to wholesalers, retailers and other markets for local produce.
Experienced and passionate local food producers will provide a series of presentations and reflections on how they have been able to maintain a profitable business during the social and climate challenges of the last 10 years. This will then lead to a mentoring partnership to help grow local food production and inform produce outlets about mechanisms to support local growers.
