Fair Food Week Archives - Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance

MEDIA RELEASE: Annual Food Sovereignty Convergence to be held in Canberra October 23-24

October 16, 2017 by Courtney Young

Date of release: 16 October 2017

The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) will host the annual Food Sovereignty Convergence in Canberra on the 23rd and 24th of October 2017 at the Burrungiri Cultural Centre.

The convergence will provide an opportunity for attendees to debate, share stories, analyse, strategise and plan towards building a fair food system for all Australians.

Held as an extension of Fair Food Week 2017, the Food Sovereignty Convergence will attract farmers, consumer advocates, right to food activists, urban agriculturalists, educators, communicators & innovators, and is open to anyone who sees themselves as part of Australia's food sovereignty movement.

The Food Sovereignty Convergence is run as an ‘un-conference’, allowing sessions to be determined democratically on each day and to encourage participation from attendees, as well as broad and inclusive discussions around the measures needed to promote Fair Food.

Topics up for discussion this year include issues around genetically modified (GM) technologies in agriculture, the impact of regulation and planning schemes on small-scale farmers, hunger activism and the 'right to food', and food sovereignty at a global level.

In addition to the un-conference agenda, the closing of the first day of the convergence will see Bruce Pascoe discuss reconciliation of First People's land management with the new movement of regenerative farming. Following this, a potluck dinner, for which separate tickets can be purchased, will be held on the Monday night at Canberra City Farm.

Penny Kothe of Caroola Farm, the Southern Harvest Association and AFSA Secretary, has said "Food Sovereignty should be important to all Australians. It represents one’s ability to choose who and where they buy their food from and in the case of farmers, to produce food that is a reflection of our deep understanding of how the land, animals and people are all interconnected.

The Food Sovereignty Movement and its allies advocate for size-appropriate legislation that is reflective of the true nature of small-scale, ethical farming operations. Coming together to discuss, plan and envision the ways in which we can strengthen the movement will allow farmers, eaters, legislators and everyone interested in Food Sovereignty to come together to connect over shared ideas and productive dialogue.”

This year, Bruce Pascoe is set to highlight the importance of events such as the Food Sovereignty Convergence in recognising the impact of First People's land management practices, and how the future of farming could look if we work with the First Peoples of Australia to utilise their ‘grossly undervalued’ knowledge to improve farming systems in this country.

"Imagine re-educating the nation and utilising the two major crops of Aboriginal Australia: yams (as well as other root vegetables) and grains. All of these plants were domesticated by Aboriginal people and these are the plants which offer the most exciting prospects for farming today."

Tickets for the 2017 Food Sovereignty Convergence can be purchased via the AFSA website or the Try Booking event page.

FOR INTERVIEW:

• Tammi Jonas, AFSA President M: 0422 429 362

INFORMATION:

• afsa.org.au

• Penny Kothe, AFSA Secretary E: admin@afsa.org.au

Join us in Canberra for the 2017 Food Sovereignty Convergence!

August 18, 2017 by Food Sovereignty

Join us in Canberra on the 23rd and 24th October 2017 for two days of debate, stories, analysis, sharing, strategising and planning, all in the cause of building a fair food system for all Australians! Farmers, consumer advocates, right to food activists, urban agriculturalists, educators, communicators, innovators - whoever you are, wherever you're from - if you see yourself as part of Australia's food sovereignty movement, this is for you!

Food sovereignty asserts the right of peoples to nourishing and culturally appropriate food produced and distributed in ecologically sound and ethical ways, and their right to collectively determine their own food and agriculture systems.

The Food Sovereignty Convergence will begin on Monday with a discussion on indigenous food sovereignty and land sovereignty led by Ngambri man Shane Mortimer. We will then move into a discussion about the global food sovereignty movement led by AFSA President Tammi Jonas, who has recently returned from the VIIth International Conference of La Via Campesina (the international peasant farmers' movement) and meetings of the Food & Agriculture Organisation of the UN.

The majority of Monday and Tuesday will be MC'd by Alex Bayley in unconference style - How does this work?

Early in the day, we will have an unconference scheduling period where people can propose sessions.

Proposed sessions will be scheduled using large post-it notes on the wall, and facilitators will help ensure that sessions have as little overlap or conflict as possible. Sometimes, two sessions may be combined together if the topics are similar.

At the end of the day, we’ll come back together for a closing session to gather feedback and talk about what we’ve gained from the day’s activities.

The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday afternoon, details TBC.

Sunday night, we will gather at local restaurant A. Baker, sharing seasonal food and drinks and meeting with our hosts for the next few days. This is a self-funded dinner/drinks.

On Monday night, Convergence attendees will gather at Canberra City Farm for a potluck dinner. Tickets are also sold separately for this event. The evening will begin with a tour of Canberra City Farm followed by the main event:

Bruce Pascoe, author of the acclaimed Dark Emu, and regenerative farmer Tammi Jonas discussing 'how we can reconcile indigenous land management with the new movement of farmers' regenerative land management'.

2 days convergence (including potluck dinner) $110
2 days convergence (govt)(including potluck dinner) $160

Potluck dinner only $20

Lunch and refreshments will be provided for both days of the Convergence so please let us know if you have any dietary requirements via email at admin@afsa.org.au. You can also email us for information about interstate and local car pooling or if you're interested in being billeted within the local community.

This event is not a fundraiser, however, you're welcome to donate to the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance's Legal Defence Fund when you purchase a ticket.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Book now!

23 and 24 Oct 2017

09:00 AM - 4:00 PM

LOCATION

Burringiri Culture Centre
245 Lady Denman Dr Canberra Central ACT 2602

CONTACT DETAILS

admin@afsa.org.au

Fair Food Week – in your backyard this October!

July 29, 2015 by Alana Mann

Food producers, eaters and community-based food organisations across Australia will celebrate Fair Food Week this year from October 16 to 25, led by the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA).

In 2015, the International Year of Soils, nationwide activities will have a strong focus on healthy and regenerative agriculture in both rural and urban areas, with community gardens playing a key role.

AFSA President Tammi Jonas announced this week that the Australian City Farms and Community Garden Network would be contributing its support to Fair Food Week 2015.

“Community gardeners are at the forefront of the connected food system – the Fair Food system – that millions of Australians want and are embracing” said Tammi.

“Fair Food is fundamentally about people connecting with where their food comes from. And one of the best ways of doing that is by growing or raising some of your own food.”

Many community gardens and city farms have taken part in Fair Food Week for the past two years with garden lunches, workshops, seed swaps and movie nights.

This year Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network (ACFCGN) President Jane Mowbray is urging even more members to participate.

“Community gardeners and city farmers form a large part of the Fair Food Movement across Australia. They enthusiastically choose to grow and eat fresh, local fruit, vegetables and herbs and are keen to share their skills, and knowledge, making many community gardens and city farms vital centres of community education.”

For Jane and other members of the ACFCGN Fair Food Week is a welcome opportunity to applaud those who are offering local, socially and environmentally just alternatives to unhealthy food produced through industrial methods.

“Ethical farmers and the markets and businesses that supply and use their sustainable products provide us all with more choice about the production of the food we eat.”

Established in 2013, Fair Food Week provides an opportunity for local communities in every state and territory to showcase how farmers, gardeners, chefs and community-based food enterprises are working hard to ensure access to fresh, local and affordable produce to all Australians.

Communities are encouraged to organise events according to local priorities. In previous years events have ranged from slow cooking and underground restaurants to free training in skills such as making sourdough bread and butchering.

AFSA President Tammi Jonas sees Fair Food Week 2015 as a “unique opportunity for the food movement to come together, recognise and celebrate each other and our many achievements”.

“And this year we look forward to working closely with the ACFCGN to make Fair Food Week 2015 a particularly outstanding success” she adds.

Media contact: AFSA President, Tammi Jonas, 0422 429 362, tammois@gmail.com

To promote your event contact: AFSA Communications Officer, Alana Mann, alana.mann@sydney.edu.au

Photo credit: © Russ Grayson www.pacific-edge.info
ACFCGN President Jane Mowbray and friend during national meeting of Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network in Adelaide, 2015.

Fair Food Week 2014 is here!

October 4, 2014 by Alana Mann

Fair Food Week

From October 10-19 this year, thousands of Australians all over the country will be celebrating the second Fair Food Week.

Coordinated by the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA), these days are dedicated to celebrating the work of women and men in country and towns who are striving to create a fairer food system for their families and communities.

Fair Food Week is also about raising awareness amongst the broader public on the many critical issues our food and farming system is facing, and what we can do to tackle those issues.

This year, the organising team at AFSA has created four central themes to provide a focus for the dozens of events already scheduled. The four themes are:

FFW Themes

This year, the organising team at AFSA has created four central themes to provide a focus for the dozens of events already scheduled. The four themes are:

Beyond the Trolley

Fair Food shopping and eating. Events to raise awareness about the extreme concentration in the Australian supermarket sector, and promote locally-owned food businesses as alternative shopping options.

Support your local community Fair Food Projects and groups

The now defunct National Food Plan created for the first time a $1.5 mn fund to support community food projects, like community gardens, farmers markets and community kitchens. 364 groups applied to this fund, but it was axed in February this year by the new Federal government. AFSA is encouraging communities to raise funds for local food projects.

Grow our urban agriculture

Having witnessed a small part of the dynamic global movement for urban agriculture over the past couple of months during my Churchill Fellowship, I am especially keen to see this movement flourish in Australia. I have spent time with local governments in Chicago, Milwaukee, Toronto, Rosario and Neuquen, and can see what a key role supportive policy frameworks – and resourcing – plays in the expansion of urban agriculture. So this is a great focus for Fair Food Week.

Support Gas-Field Free Communities

I was delighted to see that that Lock the Gate Alliance, which unites farmers and rural communities with urban environmentalists, is now a major sponsor of Fair Food Week 2014. As many in the Coffs Coast and Northern Rivers regions of NSW know all too well, the rush for unconventional mining – fracking – poses serious environmental and social risks that are yet to be properly evaluated.

Which is more important – a new mining boom that may last a few years and enrich a handful of mining executives even further, or safeguarding our best farmland for food security for future generations?As in 2013, the inaugural year of Fair Food Week, there is a wide diversity of events already scheduled. These include visits to farms and community gardens, long table dinners on farms, farm and garden workshops, Fair Food forums, community cooking events, local business open days, celebrations of ethnic and regional food cultures, permabliztes, soup kitchens and more.

One event I am especially pleased to see is the Food Security Conference in Sydney, to be held on October 13-14. Organised by the newly-formed Right to Food Alliance, whose members include the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance, Foodbank NSW, Red Cross, SecondBite, Blacktown City Council, NSW Department of Health (South Western Sydney District), Liverpool City Council and others, the centrepiece of this conference is the presentation by Joel Berg, Executive Director of the New York Coalition Against Hunger. Joel will be in Australia for a series of events during October. His focus is to raise awarness of the structural reasons why hunger persists in affluent countries like Australia and the United States, and why it is unacceptable to continue tolerating this reality.

To organise a Fair Food Week event ...........

Anyone can organise a Fair Food Week event! For more information and to see details of all events currently listed, visit www.fairfoodweek.org.au

What is shopping Beyond the Trolley? A consumer’s role in changing the food system.

October 4, 2014 by

Take bananas as an example. Mums like me who are the largest spenders in grocery stores, like to put bananas in kids lunch boxes. But they don’t fit right if they are too big, so we pick out the smaller ones. Over time, as everyone starts to do this, the retailer can tell that the big bananas aren’t selling. So they tell their suppliers they only want the lunch-box sized bananas. The suppliers oblige, and start asking producers to provide only lunch-box bananas. It’s good times so the farmers can pick the bananas at just the right moment and get a premium price for them.

The whole situation is bananas!

But then something happens - a massive rain event, say - and the bananas grow too big. The retailer won’t buy them because they can’t sell them and the farmer who had no control over the weather doesn’t get any money. Despite outlaying the same amount and working as hard as she normally would for the lunch-box bananas she gets nothing. She might get to sell the big bananas off cheap. If she’s lucky she’ll break even on the cost of production. If not, she chops them up and ploughs them back into the field to fertilise the next crop. Yes, you read that right. Perfectly good, yummy, healthy food being ploughed into the ground…The whole situation is bananas!

Most people don’t realise this happens. They just don’t realise that their choice can have an impact on the system around them. But this happens in different ways for just about everything we buy. Shopping beyond the trolley means shopping with the knowledge that each purchase can have an impact beyond just that simple relationship of you and your supermarket. It is about recognising your power to influence the system.

The Beyond the Trolley experiment

My experiment shopping Beyond the Trolley began in 2010. I just got sick of going into supermarkets. I was tired of having my life disappear in those brightly lit aisles as I chucked stuff in without a second thought. I was aware of stories about farmers and producers being treated unfairly and I wanted to step outside that system. I wanted to see if it cost me more and if it really was a viable thing to do. So I gave up shopping at Australia’s big two supermarkets and started writing about what I found. I can’t say it was the most rigorous scientific study on earth but over the course of a year I became convinced that consumers can use their power to drive change.

For me, shopping beyond the trolley took the form of giving up the big two supermarkets. After all, I was after system change so I tried to step outside the system. It wasn’t as hard as you might think. However, in order to change the system around me, I had to change my personal system. In order to save money - and yes, I did save money - I had to cook more; I had to be pretty organised; I had to explore my community; and I had to favour healthy food. But then, is that such bad thing?

Fair Food Week is an opportunity to try shopping beyond the trolley. It’s a chance to reflect on how to use your power as a consumer to shape the system around you by favouring farmers' markets, local food projects, and sustainable food system initiatives. Together we can all make a difference to the world beyond our trollies!

To learn more about how to influence the food system with your shopping habits, come along to Randwick City Council's Fair Food Week event: Skilling up for our Food Future