Food production and transport contributes a very large proportion of carbon emissions and agriculture presents a host of other environmental issues.

Most large scale food production relies too heavily on pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers which can have devasting long-term impacts on land and aquatic ecosystems. Soil degradation is also threatening our ability to produce sufficient high quality food into the future. There is a growing trend towards small scale organic systems to limit environmental damage and increase community resilience in the face of climate change, peak oil and other environmental risks.

Bodies and websites focussed on sustainable food and agriculture systems:
Australasian Agri-Food Research Network
Australian Certified Organics
Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance
Biological Farmers of Australia
Austalian Sustainable Farming Practices
Grow Local Directory
Organic Federation of Australia
Landcare Australia
Permaculture Research Institute of Australia

Sustainability Tools for the Food and Agricultural Sector

The Climate Kelpie website is a website to help farmers in relation to climate change issues, providing tools and information on topics like climate forecasts, ways to manage variability, adaptation and emission reduction. Climate Kelpie is associated with a Climate Champion program – see video below.

There is a 244 page Eco Efficiency Toolkit for the Queensland Food Processing Industry (2004) published by the Australian Industry Group and supported by the Queensland and Australian Governments, Brisbane City Council and the Australian Water Association. It was prepared by the UNEP Working Group for Cleaner Production in the Food Industry through staff at the University of Queensland.

Sustainable food policy references

A submission to Australia’s food policy consultation (2012) from Beyond Zero Emissions
CSIRO conference presentations on sustainable food manufacturing.

More to come!