Food Security and Community Food Gardens Policy

Aspirations:

To see Kiama LGA become self-sufficient in the production of locally grown fresh food. We look forward to Kiama as a sustainable and a net producer of food, expanding the knowledge of growing and producing at the local level, insuring our community against future food scarcity and providing other local government areas with a functioning model of a sustainable food community.

To see community gardens as a permanent part of the life of the Kiama LGA, contributing to both the promotion of the value of fresh food and to community building.

Kiama Greens Recognise:

that the past sterilisation of valuable farmland and an overdependence on imported food has put the community’s food security in jeopardy;
that food security will become a major issue in upcoming years as the consequences of climate change increase. Seasonal instability and the expense of transporting food vast distances from where it is grown, will continue to increase.
that the importance of creating a fresh, sustainable, reliable and locally grown food source cannot be overstated;
the importance to local employment of encouraging locally grown and produced food as well as opportunities for local experts and educators to assist the community in moving towards greater self sufficiency; and
the importance of community food gardens in providing education, training and community building activities based around concepts of local sustainability and self-sufficiency.

Kiama Greens will work to:

Designate suitable community land for the purposes of creating viable community food gardens.
Ensure that access to community food gardens is possible for all members of the community and that gardens are not the preserve of an exclusive group.
Work to provide a link between the community food gardens, volunteers and local produce markets via community transport mechanisms.
Support the acquisition of relevant grants and funds available to community projects.
Facilitate community education days in the gardens, open to the public, where specific knowledge of local food growing can be shared with other home gardeners and farmers.
Create a “people bank” of locals who have had experience in the creation, production and distribution of food locally, who are knowledgeable seed-savers, and who are willing to share their knowledge through a range of avenues such as lectures in the gardens and other public forums, informal talks, and advice to local growers be they farmers or home producers.
Monitor and where necessary support enhancement of sales opportunities for local produce.
Protect valuable agricultural lands from urbanisation through the Local Environment Plan and the Local Strategic Planning Statement.
Investigate the options for rural landowners to provide access for community groups to establish food gardens on unused land.
Encourage residents to buy locally grown food whenever possible and support opportunities for local growers to promote and sell their produce.