The 2016 Urban Agriculture Forum was held at the University of Melbourne’s Burnely Campus on November 18-19, a collaborative initiative between Sustain: The Australian Food Network, The University of Melbourne, 3000 Acres, Cultivating Community, The City of Yarra, Moreland Food Gardens Network and the Port Phillip EcoCentere.
The 2016 Urban Agriculture Forum was aimed at a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including state and local government, the education, university and TAFE sectors, designers and urban planners, urban farmers, community and backyard gardeners, chefs and restaurateurs, food social enterprise and retail businesses, health professionals, emergency food relief providers, and food rescue and waste management authorities.
A. Bring together practitioners and policy-makers from across the urban and peri-urban food landscape to build a shared understanding of what urban agriculture is, and the benefits and opportunities it can offer in the Australian context.
B. Acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of the urban agriculture movement over the past decade (and in some cases before) in Australia, both at the community and local government levels.
C. Share lessons of good and best practice urban agriculture models, as well as failures and successes, from across the globe.
D. Share the results of the research undertaken by Sustain and partner organisations, and reflect on the lessons for future practice and policy development.
E. Identify and discuss the legislative, regulatory and resourcing barriers to the further expansion of urban agriculture in Melbourne and beyond.
F. Develop a common platform and set of proposals to the State government to address the identified barriers.
The second UAF emphasised the role urban agriculture can play in creating more liveable cities and homes, and thereby contribute to meeting the global Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 11, 'Sustainable Cities and Communities.'
Read a Summary & Review of UAF 2016 on the blog here.
Read Feedback & Review from UAF 2016 participants on the blog here.
Read UAF 2016 Working Group Outcomes on the blog here.
For its first instalment Sustain wanted to showcase a group of speakers that reflected the diversity of urban agriculture practices both in Australia and internationally. The speakers at this years event represented a mix of state and local government, the education, university and TAFE sectors, designers and urban planners, urban farmers, community and backyard gardeners, chefs and restaurateurs, food social enterprise and retail businesses, health professionals, emergency food relief providers, and food rescue and resource management authorities.
Keynote speakers included Debra Solomon, Artist and Designer of Food-System Infrastructure, and Henk De Zeeuw, Senior Advisor RUAF Foundation.
View the full list of UAF 2016 guest speakers and presenters here.
Sponsors included the City of Melbourne, Melbourne Water, BioFilta, City of Moreland, Sydney University, ICLEI and William Angliss Institute.
View the full list of UAF 2016 sponsors here.
Please contact uaf@sustainaustralia.org with any enquiries regarding the 2016 UAF or opportunities to participate in future events.
Sustain’s mandate is to support communities and organisations that are collaborating to build better food systems around Australia. So we were delighted to be involved in bringing together events comprising a national festival of discussion and collaboration on urban and peri-urban agriculture, and sustainable and regenerative food systems more broadly.
View the full list of UAF 2016 National Speaking Tour & Sideshow Events here.