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Farming and health conference serves up food for thought

Urban wasteland vegetable gardens, a Landcare-type movement to save our soils and a Victorian Ministry of Food … those were some of the innovations raised at last Tuesday’s ground-breaking Food, Farming and Health conference.

By Susan Webster - 11th October 2009 - Back to News

About 150 people from interstate and across Victoria came to share visions of nurturing the land while nourishing its people.

The Warragul conference, organised by Agribusiness Gippsland, saw speakers from NSW and across Victoria addressing farmers, landholders, water and Landcare representatives, health professionals, teachers, shire and other government delegates.

"It was astonishing how readily these quite-separate groups came together," said Alex Arbuthnot AM, chair of Agribusiness Gippsland. "It proves that the same issues are top-of-mind across all these sectors."

Keynote speaker Andrew Campbell demanded an ‘intersection’ of health policy and agricultural practice for the good of the earth, and the people depending on it.

"We’re not talking climate change but climate chaos," he warned. "We need to decouple economic growth from carbon emissions; we should shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. We have to increase our water and energy productivity.

"For example, growing corn to produce ethanol makes no sense at all, it requires more energy input than it produces."

He warned: "But the bigger challenge we’ve got is making the market economics more closely reflect the energy reflected in the price of food. I believe food prices need to go up very substantially, although we need to look at that from an equity point of view."

The State Nutritionist Veronica Graham shared unpublished data showing that the price of healthy food, such as vegetables, fruit and grains had risen about 20% since the introduction of GST, higher than the rise of ‘non-core’ food. "So if you’re trying to eat healthy food that is an issue especially if you’re on a limited income," she said.

She also expressed concerns about the loss of farmland to housing. "Urban development is displacing food production, for example at Werribee. This is about policy or land planning and I don’t know the degree of control, but it is concerning."

DPI deputy secretary Bruce Kefford, detailed some of the opportunities ahead for agriculture including GPS for more precise tilling, GM for less fertiliser and chemical applications and modifications to feed to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

 "We need to accelerate change," he said. "Farmers get demonised and I don’t think that’s fair or right. They’re already part of the solution."

Sue Brumby, Director of the National Centre for Farmer Health, warned of the looming "tsunami" of diabetes, especially in rural areas. In Loddon Shire, for example, one person in 10 suffers from the condition.

She praised the conference organisers, led by Gippsland beef farmer Jenny Sullivan.

"It’s just fantastic to see a conference like this," Ms Brumby said.

Her praise was echoed by Prof Linda Tapsell of the University of Wollongong. She had declined an overseas speaking engagement to attend the Warragul event.

"The situation you now face is for this small region to put it all together and see if you can do something about it," she told the audience.

The full-day conference included a range of other speakers discussing, among other things:

• Food gardens reclaimed from urban waste ground or roof tops.
• Declining reserves of phosphorus, the world’s major agricultural fertiliser.
• How two people feed 50 families from an acre in Healesville.
• How to make kids enjoy eating fruit.
• The hazards and heartbreaks of establishing an organic retail business.
• The need to grow pest predators to replace chemicals.

"And much else besides," Mr Arbuthnot added. "And the day featured a Gippsland- sourced, healthy lunch – proving you eat what you are and you are what you eat!"

The conference was funded by VicHealth, Baw Baw Shire Council, the DPI, DSE and West Gippsland CMA.

l Agribusiness Gippsland is hosting an agritourism conference at Maffra on October 28. Hear Pauline Porcaro, recently returned from studying successful agritourism enterprises in Italy. Learn tips and traps. Discover how to unlock a second income. Hear the experts, and have a night out. Dinner and forum only $10. Duart Homestead, 20 McLean St Maffra, 6-9.30pm, 28 October. Visit www.aginc.wordpress.com

Fuller reports on each of the speakers will by uploaded at www.aginc.wordpress.com

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: susanw@ptarmigan.com.au

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