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Melbourne Food Hub Collaboration for transformation Dr Nick Rose, Executive Director Taking Action for Healthy Communities North East Healthy Communities Forum Tuesday, 29 th October 2019
Melbourne Food Hub
Collaboration for transformation
Dr Nick Rose, Executive Director
Taking Action for Healthy Communities
North East Healthy Communities Forum
Tuesday, 29th October 2019
Why do we exist?
Because the food system is broken
The food system should do two things above all:
1. Protect and enhance ecosystem integrity
2. Optimise human health and wellbeing
But instead, the food system is leading to…
Symptoms of a broken food system
To design and build
better food systems
OUR MISSION:
Food
hubs
Local food
economy
Regenerative
agriculture
Urban
agriculture
Food
justice
Food
culture and
gastronomy
Food education
and literacy
Food
governance
How we are
working across
the food system
GOAL
The Community Food Strategy
and Action Plan
Food Systems and the
Role of Local Government
Policy
work
Roles, strategies
and systems
National Sustainable
Communities Summit (2018)
Thought
leadership
Conferences and events
Reclaiming the Urban Commons: Past, Present & Future in Australian
Towns and Cities (2018)
The Human Right to Food (2016)
Melbourne Food Hub (Key partner: Melbourne Farmers
Market)
▪ Training women in food
entrepreneurship
▪ Urban Agriculture: training and
practice
▪ Food Waste Recovery: composting
▪ Industry Community Kitchen
▪ Weekly Farmers Market
Cardinia Food Circles Project (Key partner: Shire of Cardinia)
▪ The Community Grocer
▪ Pakenham Secondary College
Community Farm Initiative
▪ Healthy Education Network
SMRC Cafe and Food Hub
▪ Cardinia Community Food Strategy 2018-
2026
Practice
leadership
Hubs, communities
and projects
Research
Books, journal articles
and reports
The think-and-do network
New Economy Network
Australia Conference (2018)
Transforming Food Systems
through Social Enterprise (2018)
Healthy Soils, Healthy
Communities (2018)
Food for Thought
Festival (2017 & 2018)
Cardinia Food Forum (2017)
Urban Agriculture Forum (2016, 2018 & 2020)
Symposium of Australian
Gastronomy (2016)
Growing Food Justice from
Montreal to Melbourne (2016)
Community Food Hubs
Conference (2015)
Democratising Food Systems (2015)
Melbourne Statement
on Urban Agriculture
Farm-to-Plate Peri-Urban Planning
Scheme Audit (2019-2020)
Urban and Regional
Food Declaration
Diversity, Connectedness, Scale: Understanding Victoria’s artisan food
and agriculture sector (2018)
Food Systems Literacy: Transforming
the Global Industrial Food System (2018)
Successful Failures: The Problem
with Food Banks (2017)
Community Food Hubs: An
Economic and Social Justice Model
for Regional Australia (2017)
Cultivating the Critical Food
Artisan: Undergraduate Food Studies
in Australia (2016)
Australia Research Council project:
“Strengthening food governance at the
local level” (2019-2021)
Local Government Agribusiness
Officers: Case Studies (2016)
Innovations in Agricultural and
Culinary Training and Education: International Case Studies (2016)
Mapping Local Government
Urban Agriculture Strategies (2016)
Bendigo’s Local Food Economy (2017)
Food Hub Feasibility Studies (Bendigo/Wangaratta/Wyndham/Cardinia/
Darebin) (2016-2018)
“Nourish Victoria” State wide Plan (Vic) – 5-10yrs
GOAL
Thought
leadership
Conferences and events
Melbourne Food Hub (Key partner: Melbourne Farmers
Market)
▪ Training women in food
entrepreneurship
▪ Urban Agriculture: training and
practice
▪ Food Waste Recovery: composting
▪ Industry Community Kitchen
▪ Weekly Farmers Market
Practice
leadership
Hubs, communities
and projects
Research
Books, journal articles
and reports
Community Food Hubs
Conference (2015)
Community Food Hubs: An
Economic and Social Justice Model
for Regional Australia (2017)
Food Hub Feasibility Studies (Bendigo/Wangaratta/Wyndham/Cardinia/
Darebin) (2016-2018)
“Nourish Victoria”State wide Plan (Vic) – 5-10yrs
▪
▪
▪
▪
The think-and-do network
Theme: Food hubs
GOAL
Policy
work
Roles, strategies
and systems
Thought
leadership
Conferences and events
Reclaiming the Urban Commons: Past, Present & Future in Australian
Towns and Cities (2018)
Melbourne Food Hub
(Key partner: Melbourne Farmers
Market)
• Training women in food
entrepreneurship
• Urban Agriculture: training and
practice
• Food Waste Recovery:
composting
• Industry Community Kitchen
• Weekly Farmers Market
▪
▪
▪
▪
Research
Books, journal articles
and reportsUrban Agriculture Forum (2016, 2018 & 2020)
Melbourne Statement
on Urban Agriculture
Mapping Local Government
Urban Agriculture Strategies (2016)
“Nourish Victoria” State wide Plan (Vic) – 5-10yrs
The think-and-do network
Theme: Urban agriculture
MethodologyHow we work
Collective impact Networks and partners
Collective impact
A commitment of a group of members from across the communityto a common agenda for solving a specific social problem, using
a structured form of collaboration.
Five conditions of Collective Impact
Cardinia Food Circles Project Melbourne Food Hub
Collective impact approach
Common agenda | Common progress measures | Mutually reinforcing activities | Communications | Backbone organisation
Building a
common agenda
Cardinia Community
Food Strategy and
Action Plan 2018 - 2026
Cardinia Shire’s
Liveability Plan
2017 – 2029
Partners and
Stakeholders
Engaging
community and
building public will
Events for learning
and networking:
Cardinia Food Forum,
workshops, partner
events
Cardinia Food Network
Media and Social Media
Enabling and
supporting mutually
reinforcing activities
The Community
Grocer Pakenham
Pakenham Secondary
College Community
Farm Initiative
Healthy Education Network
Food Hub
Community Kitchens:
Sikh and CWA
Farmland Protection
Advocacy + Research
A SHARED VISION
WORKING ACROSS THE
FOOD SYSTEM:5 Strategies67 Actions
REFLECTIONS
• Collaboration across sectors and across a complex food system
requires a shared vision and action plan
• Local government leadership, engagement and ownership has
been crucial…we need to build relationships + trust
• So is community ownership – our journey is about building a
movement for change.
• Food Network – build, support, nurture, grow.
• A focus on activating, connecting + enabling community solutions
• Communications platforms + messaging = VIP.
a) Continuity b) Take time to develop + refine c) Draw on expertise.
• Shared measurement + evaluation.
• Tangible touchpoints and events – engagement, momentum,
connection.
Cardinia Food Circles Project Melbourne Food Hub
Collective impact approach
Common agenda | Common progress measures | Mutually reinforcing activities | Communications | Backbone organisation
Join us at
The Food
HubThe Melbourne Food Hub is a
flourishing place to co-create and
connect to a local food system that is
secure, sustainable, healthy and fair –
reflecting and celebrating intercultural
diversity.
At the Melbourne Food Hub, we are
creating a self-sustaining and
replicable model where the community
can meet, learn, grow, make, eat and
source fresh local produce.
What happens
at The Food
Hub?
A weekly accredited
farmers market
attracting thousands of
visitors each week.
Urban Agriculture
including workshops
and vocational education.
Cooking and catering,
educational food
workshops and small food
business incubation.
Local, fresh produce
storage and distribution to
individuals and groups.
Community
events bringing people
together with food as
the connector.
Co-working
spaces where social
enterprises and small
business can thrive.
Food waste
recovery recycling
community food scraps
into fertile compost.
Research gathering the
learnings from this new
project, to share with and
inspire others.
WHO IS AT THE MELBOURNE FOOD HUB?
TIMELINE OF THE MELBOURNE FOOD HUB
MFM commits to move to AlphingtonSustain & MFM commence discussions about a collaborative food hub proposal
Dec. 2016
First complement of staff recruited (Food Hub Manager, Bus Dev Manager, Comms Coordinator, Urban Ag FacilitatorFirst Alphington Farmers Market, averaging 30 stallholders / 1800 patrons every weekCalendar of community representation and events e.gAlphington CWA/World Bee Day
Mar – June 2018
Sustain secures LMCF funding to hold a visioning day50 people from 40 organisations attend and co-create a visionMFM secures funding from City of Darebin for site works / business plan development
Mar - May 2017
Team strategic planning Rename AlphingtonComm Food Hub to Melbourne Food HubFacebook launchedMFH Launch lunchFirst Urban Ag wicking bed workshop
July - Sept 2018
Sustain applies to LMCF for an Innovation Grant for 2 years funding to start the AlphingtonCommunity Food HubMFM receives Bendigo Bank container grant
July 2017
MFH website created and launchedFood Business Program funded by Inner North & BennelongKingfisher Citrus commences distribution from Farmers DepotReground moves onsite
Oct - Dec 2018
SGS Economics to conducts a business plan for the Alphington Community Food Hub (paid for by City of Darebin)
July - Nov 2017
2nd wicking bed workshop
First passata making workshop
First FBB cohort commences
First Food Dist pilot commences with Reservoir High School
Progress report to LMCF
MOU signed with Melb Poly for hort students
Jan - Apr 2019
Sustain & MFM pitch to LMCF Board & grant awarded to SustainMFM moves to Alphington /secures funding from City of Darebin for replacement infrastructure
Dec 2017 - Jan 2018
MFH Open Day as part of Darebin Homemade Food & Wine Festival3000 Acres comes onsiteMushroom women join MFH clusterBank Aus grant for Climate Smart ClassroomDiscussions with PCFShared visioning process with wider collectiveCommunity kitchen build commences
May - August 2019
REVISED VISION & MISSION, AUGUST 2019
Vision
The Melbourne Food Hub is a flourishing place to co-create and connect to a local food system that is secure, sustainable, healthy and fair
Mission
To create a self-sustaining, collaborative and replicable food hub model where the community can meet, learn about, grow, make, eat and source local fresh and value-
added produce
The opportunity for collaboration: Sustainable food system education at the MFH
The goal
To collaboratively design and deliver a year-round immersive and practical experience into diverse aspects of sustainable food systems,
to an expanding range of corporate, government and community stakeholders
The benefit
Sustainable and ongoing revenue streams for each of the participating partners in the MFH
Renewable energy / community solar farm
Teaching & learning, e.g. Melb Poly, Reservoir High School
Business incubating –Commercial Kitchen
Bee-keeping and pollinators
Hospitality – e.g. café / bar
Social inclusion – inclusive employment / training opportunities
Food waste & packaging recycling and composting
Seed-saving / propagating / seedling nursery
Urban Farming & Urban horticulture
Eating & socialising –Community Kitchen
Cooking and preserving – workshops / community kitchen
Giving and sharing, e.g. DIVRS
Food value-adding – Commercial Kitchen
Markets and retail
Melbourne Food Hub: Sustainable food systems
education model & demonstration site
Wellbeing Circular Food Economy
Good & fair food
Social justice
Research / Citizen Science
– e.g. ClimateSmart
Classroom / RMIT Soil
Environment students
Alphington Farmers Market: 1500 patrons, 30 stallholders
Food Business Boost: Training migrant women in food entrepreneurship
Urban Agriculture: vocational training with Melbourne Polytechnic, workshops, sales of farm produce
Food Waste Recovery: composting and food plastics recycling
Industry Community Kitchen
ACTIVE
PROJECTS:
PRINCIPLE
FUNDERS:
PARTNERS:
