The current food system is undermining the ecological and hydrological qualities of the planet, both directly and via its significant contribution to climate change:
- Biodiversity is threatened through land clearing and monocultural crops.
- Soils are being eroded and degraded through industrial farming techniques.
- Landscapes are being destroyed by the mining and processing required to produce agrichemicals.
- Waterways are being depleted and polluted by over-extraction.
- Oceans are being acidified and polluted by agricultural by-products.
Meanwhile, approximately 40% of food produced globally goes to waste each year, intensifying greenhouse gas emissions and creating a further raft of problems.
The crisis is also manifest in social, physical, and mental health impacts. Dietary-related ill-health is the biggest public health issue facing Australia. Our daily lives are relentlessly fast and busy, yet increasingly people report high levels of social isolation. More than ever before, we are disconnected from the social reality and ecology of our food system, and from each other.
We want to enhance the great localised work already happening and provide the synergy needed to foster transformation in the urban agriculture space.
This is an experimental project and together we will learn and adapt to create the innovation ecosystem required to meet our goals.
The Doughnut economics model is used during the second presentation in this webinar to explain how a different economic model could help shape the Urban Agriculture space in a regenerative and distributive way.
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Yeu Wen Mak
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
For now, I will say that I have been inspired by Kate's work all these years!