This document discusses the need to develop creative food economies in southern Melbourne to address issues like the loss of farmland and declining viability of farming. It provides examples of indicators of successful creative food economies elsewhere, like increased local food sales and job creation. Key elements of creative food economies are identified, like infrastructure, governance support, education, and alternative financing. The document argues for transforming the existing industrial food system into an emerging system that prioritizes health, environmental protection, and local food access.

1. Creative food economies: evidence,
case studies and actions for
southern Melbourne
Dr Nick Rose
Churchill Fellow, 2013
Project Coordinator, Food Systems, Food Alliance
National Coordinator, Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance
Director, Food Connect Foundation

2. Appropriatescale
infrastructure –
e.g. Food hubs
Governance,
leadership &
support - e.g.
Food
procurement,
Food Charter,
Food Council
Research
collaborations
Collaborative
financing Superannuation,
investment vehicles
etc.
Creative Food
Economy
Farmland
preservation
+ Access to
Water
Increased
markets
(direct and
intermediate)
for local food
Food cluster
development
and business
networks
Education and
awarenessraising - adults
and children

3. Drivers of change
Loss of farmland
Declining
viability of
farming
Dietaryrelated illhealth
Lack of
business and
employment
Eco-system
deterioration

4. “Two thirds of the perishable vegetables grown in Australia are grown on the
metropolitan fringe of the capital cities…That’s where the best soil is, and we’re
running out of land to grow food” – Ian Sinclair, Edge Land Planning
“There is a dire lack of action by federal and state governments on planning for
food production” – Trevor Budge, La Trobe University

5. Planning for Food?
“In the 1950s, Melbourne had over 2000 km² of
agricultural land within the urban boundary, and
approximately 90 km² of land for fruit and
vegetable growing.
By 2030, it is estimated that none of the original
fruit and vegetable-growing areas will be left,
and there will be less than 200 km² of
agricultural land.”
Planning for Food, Food Alliance / Heart Foundation, 2012

9. Global Food Supply Chains:
How power has changed in the Food Industry
Source: C von Schirach Szmigiel, Unilever Board Member

10. VAMPIRE = Vulnerability Assessment for Mortgage,
Petrol and Inflation Risks and Expenditure
Dr Jago Dodson, Dr Neil Snipe (Griffith, 2006)

11. Oil Vulnerability in Melbourne, Institute for Sustainable
Transport (2009)

12. A Drought-Proof Food Bowl?

13. Indicators of Creative Food Economies
• Total direct marketing sales in Japan: $US 15bn
• Total local food sales for the US in 2011: $US 11bn
• Numbers of US farms selling some or all of their produce through local
markets in 2012: 136,000, 24% increase from 2010
• Job creation of horticulture farms selling into local markets: 13 full-time
workers per $1 mn revenue, cf 3 ft jobs per $1 mn rev for non-local sales
• Farms < 100 acres create 5 times more jobs than farms > 500 acres
• Spending in local independent retailers generates 3 times the number of
jobs compared to national supermarkets in the UK
• Employment growth in Toronto’s creative food cluster to reach 10% p/a
• Rise of creative food economy has led to net increase in number of US
farms for first time in decades; new farms are small, more diversified
production, and have younger operators
Source: Larsen, K., and Rose, N, 2013: Regional Economic Development for Local and
Creative Food Economies: A study produced for the development of a Regional Food
Strategy by the Southern Melbourne RDA

14. Food system transformation
Existing Food System
Emerging Food System
Prioritises mass production
Prioritises health
Food is not seen as the business of cities
Food is seen as a strategic vehicle
meeting city goals
Founded on access to cheap fossil fuels
Environmental protection is a
cornerstone of food production,
processing and distribution
Market forces determine location of food
stores
Neighbourhoods are planned with
food access in mind
Food pricing unconnected to nutritional
benefit
Food issues carved up into separate
government departments and jurisdictions
Food pricing favours health choices
Food solutions come from
collaborative partnerships within
and among governments and civil
society
From Toronto Board of Health, 2010. Cultivating Food Connections: Toward a Healthy and Sustainable Food
System for Toronto. City of Toronto, May 2010, p16

15. www.foodfarmsjobs.org
• Public purchasing procurement target: 20% by 2020
• Creation of Local Food, Farms and Jobs Council: “To
facilitate the growth of an Illinois-based local farm and
food product economy that:
- revitalizes rural and urban communities,
- promotes healthy eating with access to fresh foods,
- creates jobs,
- ensures a readily available supply of safe food in an
emergency event, and
- supports economic growth through making local farm
or food products available to all Illinois citizens.”

16. www.intervale.org

Agro-forestry operations that provide sustainably grown wood-chips to generate
the bulk of Burlington’s electrical supply

A composting business which converts the city’s organic waste to compost and
topsoil, and sells it to farms, nurseries and households

A farm business incubator enterprise for new farmers, including the provision
of access to land, infrastructure and equipment

A business consulting service for more established farmers

Vermont’s first multi-farm community-supported agriculture enterprise

A local food education program for young people

A conservation nursery, growing natives for riparian restoration programs