Page 4568 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 18 October 2011
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into the ACT planning for land use and in creating opportunities for local participation. This is reflected in the ACT draft planning strategy released yesterday, and we need these thoughts to trickle through to ensure security for agriculture areas and appropriate zoning, for example, making best use of the areas along the Molonglo River, giving security to rural lessees in food production, and tailoring our water restrictions policy to ensure people can continue to water their gardens.
I note that the ACT government in response to Ms Le Couteur’s motion on community gardens earlier this year has committed to undertaking a scoping study to investigate local food production in the ACT. I am not sure what stage the strategy is at. I understand that the matter was referred to the strategic board for advice. It would be appreciated if the minister were able to provide an update on progress.
Other issues that the government correctly identified as being pertinent to food production in the ACT include: consideration of the territory’s ecological footprint; the real environmental and economic costs of where Canberra’s food is sourced; a regional definition of the ACT’s local food production catchment, for example, a 100 or 200-kilometre catchment; food security and other means available for local food systems such as city farms, farmers markets, community supported agricultural enterprises and direct farm sales. The government also noted the wider issue of maintaining productive landscapes around Canberra which protect the landscape setting of Canberra, at the same time allowing for sustainable management of the land.
As I have noted, I am pleased to see that food production has finally been mentioned in the ACT government’s draft planning strategy. This is a big step forward and recognises the fact that we need to ensure that we set aside land for food production and cannot continue to rely so heavily on interstate and other more far away markets.
I note that the background paper on food released in conjunction with the draft planning strategy also recognises that land use planning can play a significant role in providing opportunities for localised food production, such as city farms, farmers markets and community gardens, including those for public housing and schools and other commercial intensive horticultural businesses.
I would like to note some of the health and social considerations around food production. I believe it is beneficial for people to have a greater understanding of where and how their food is sourced and grown. This can be quite difficult, but there are significant social benefits to people taking more interest in the food they eat, including where it is from, its nutritional qualities and how they can grow it themselves.
There are some wonderful local projects which involve people at a community level in producing food for themselves and their family and friends. Some of the projects through school kitchen gardens and social housing gardens also play an important role in community building and growing social networks. There are also considerable health benefits in people eating and cooking with their own fresh produce.
There are a number of areas where the government can support increased food production in the ACT, and many of these have been outlined in the government’s
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