Why is it that produce in the country often has more food miles than produce in the city? In a food distribution system that defies logic, food from regional areas is transported to the city to be sold, then transported back to regional areas - often the very same areas from whence it originally came - to be purchased by the very people who grew it in the first place.
Fortunately, a researcher from Southern Cross University may have a solution.
Rose Wright presented her distribution model at the Australasian Regional Food Cultures and Networks Conference at Kingscliff in December last year. Wright’s model is based on the concept of regional food networks that would see farmers and growers selling their produce through locally based coordinated trading systems, sending only what they don’t sell to city markets. The benefits to farmers and consumers are considerable: reduced food miles, fresher produce and, importantly, less money paid to middle men.
“The idea is not reinventing the wheel but slightly modifying our current system and behaviour. How we ended up with a system that sees regional food being taken to the city and then sold and transported back to where it was grown in the first place is incomprehensible,” Wright said.
“There is clear evidence that supports the need and merits of a short supply chain but we will have to change the way we’ve done business for years to make it happen. My model strips away multiple layers out of the chain and gives control back to farmers who usually lose control of their product once it hits the central markets and provides clear choice for consumers. It also maximises the profits for the farmers. It could make farming more viable.”
Although farmers markets are steadily gaining popularity, Wright says they are only a small part of the solution and will not force the same change in food distribution as her model.
“Farmers markets affect only a small segment of consumers and farmers,” she said. “They can have a huge benefit to the farmer and they are critical in developing a food culture, but they are only one component of a regional food system and not the only solution.
“For local food networks to move ahead they need to include numerous points of sale including independent retailers and supermarkets and the proper accreditation that stipulates the food is grown in the region it is being sold.”
Wright has helped growers set up a food network in Tropical Far North Queensland and is currently working with stakeholders in Toowoomba, South Burnett and the Granite Belt.
Selling produce locally could also allow regional areas a degree of self-sufficiency, as well as making regional sustainability goals more achievable.