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Advocating for Change

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    Joel Orchard: Small scale farmer and big future thinker

    What started out as an aspiration to be self sufficient, has evolved into a vision to grow and support young farmers into a profession that has enormous reward, alongside huge risk, immense challenges and a great deal of fulfillment. What’s more Joel can see the future in small-scale farming and has a vision for how

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    • It was our monthly CSA collection of our @echovalleyfarmer meat box last night and this lovely daikon radish was our surprise gift. I generally collect the box around 6pm on a Friday night, and I always really enjoy those brief 10 minutes to connect with Juanita and hear how things are going on the farm. It truly breaks my heart, how month on month, I hear how dry it is and how immensely challenging it is farming without rain. And you know what the worst thing is. There is nothing they can do about it. They just have to wait and pray that it rains soon. Whilst our loyalty and yearly commitment as a CSA subscriber obviously helps things, ultimately it won’t help in the end if they have to sell off their animals just to keep afloat. This is a real issue that is affecting farmers across the nation. Addressing the root cause of our changing climate needs to happen, and it needs to happen fast. We must take a stand about climate change in this country. And we must shift from the current global food system to a much more localised and sustainable one. Before we get to the point where we start to become a net importer of food, and not a net exporter.
    • I really love all the advocacy work I’m involved with. After many months of planning and countless 8pm zoom meetings with these lovely ladies, today the fruits of our labour all came together. The Fair Food Alliance Brisbane hosted its first half day event where we brought together key people across South East Queensland to discuss hunger, food justice and food policy. We heard about how huge the issue is, the realities of what it’s like for people who are food insecure and about some of the great things happening both in Australia and abroad that strive to equip and empower those who experience food insecurity. I talked about the role that Food Policy Councils can play in providing a structured governance mechanism through which we can influence policy change locally. There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the room to continue the conversations and among others things, work towards developing a local community food strategy.
    • It was an honour to facilitate the Inaugural Gold Coast Community Food Forum today. Jorge Cantellano from EdibleScapes did a fantastic job coordinating and hosting the event. It was great to have such enthusiastic and passionate community members in the room discussing what some of the issues are with the food system on the Gold Coast. And then agreeing on 3 action items to get the ball rolling on addressing some of these issues. I’m always inspired when I see people come together who want to work collaboratively to create a better food system. It’s no easy feat. The issues are huge and can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. Yet change is possible. You have the power to create change wherever you’re from. All it starts with is a gathering of like minded people who are able to, and can push for change.
    • Wise words from Sharon Friel at the #foodgovernance2019 conference.
    • A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had the honour of speaking in @brisbanecitycouncil Chambers about the need to grow more food in the city. Since the meetings are all recorded you can watch the replay if you're interested. I start talking around the 1.50min mark. Link is in the bio. I am really grateful to be in a position to advocate for more locally produced food. I may have gone to university and studied some useful degrees, but anyone has the power to create change. The most important thing is to think of yourself as a food citizen and not just a consumer. When we think this way we change from merely a passive recipient of food to an active participant in the food system. Changing the way you think about yourself has a huge impact on the way we interact in the food system. Whether it's sourcing more locally produced food, starting to compost, getting involved in a community garden, or joining an advocacy group. All I urge you to do is to start with one thing. Get comfortable with that. And you'll find those little things grow into big things. We have the power to change the food system. But we must unite as food citizens. Because that's where our power lies.
    • Watching @rageabc this morning, this beautiful new song, The Seed by @auroramusic caught my attention. She sings about how we all have the power to do something towards creating a better future. Do you feel like you have power to influence food systems change where you live? If yes, I’d love to know how? If no, would you like more power to enable you to push for change?
    Copyright 2019 Our Food System