DEVELOPING
FOOD RESILIENCE
Suzette Jackson,
Director | Innate Ecology
“Ever since we stepped into the precarious shelter of
domestication, we humans have struggled to create
food systems that could sustain us – all of us- without
unravelling the delicate ecological fabric that ensures
future harvests.”
Rebuilding the Foodshed, by Philip Ackerman-Leist
Source: 100Resilient Cities, The Rockerfeller Foundation, 2015
GLOBAL FOOD ISSUES
World Population
World population increased to 7.2 billion people mid - 2013, up from 2.5 billion in 1950.
Global population is projected to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050, an increase of 7.1 billion
people in only 100 years (based on medium-variant).
Source: Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affair of the United Nations Secretariat (2013).
World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision New York: United Nations.
The global urban population has grown from 14 per cent in 1900 to 60 per cent in 2012,
with Australia urban populations at 89 per cent (DESA 2013), located mainly on the eastern
coastline.
Image: http://africanarguments.org
Hunger, malnutrition and obesity are defining issues of the 21st century.
In the face of high world population growth coupled with the urbanization of the
human species, peri-urban and rural areas are under pressure to supply food,
water and energy.
Globally 70% of freshwater is used for agriculture
freshwater use for industrial activities
freshwater use for domestic activities
22%
8%
Food is lost or wasted along the entire value chain
World Resources Institute 2013
Deforestation & Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Agriculture was responsible for roughly 80 percent of tropical
deforestation between 2000 and 2010. (Kissenger, G. M. et al. 2012)
Land-use change can be a proxy for biodiversity loss, since habitat loss is
the world’s most significant cause of biodiversity loss (Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Land use change contributed 11 percent of
global greenhouse gas emissions. (Searchinger, T. C. et al. 2013)
Meat consumption per capita has increased significantly over the last
century. Lamb, beef, Cheese and pork have the worst environment al
impacts and generate the most greenhouse has emissions. (EWG, 2011)
Climate change 2015: growing risks, critical choices, Climate Council August 2015
Climate impacts on regional Australia
Climate affects virtually every aspect of food production and farm profitability.
It also has significant impacts on food affordability, accessibility, quality and safety, factors
that collectively affect food security.
The risks posed by climate change for Australia’s food production systems and our food
security are complex and inter-connected and include:
_ risks posed by ongoing degradation of Australia’s natural resource base;
_ direct risks of changes in temperature, rainfall and other climatic impacts on agricultural
production;
_ direct impacts of extreme events on food supply, safety and distribution;
_ economic risks posed by energy costs and policies, including those designed to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions; and
_ changes to Australia’s competitiveness due to climatic changes in other countries.
Climate change 2015: growing risks, critical choices, Climate Council August 2015
Industrialized Farming Practices
Soil is being lost 10 to 40 times faster than it is being replenished, which poses
a threat to long-term human food security. (Pirrentel 2006)
Furthermore, in many places, soil’s capacity to retain nutrients, retain moisture,
and maintain a healthy pH is declining. (Reytar et al. 2014)
Annually, about 10 million hectares of cropland are abandoned because of soil
erosion and related loss of productivity. (Faeth & Crosson 1994)
Chemical pesticides have detrimental effects on human health, wildlife, water
quality, and other environmental factors depending on the toxicity of the
constituent chemicals and the application conditions. (Reytar et al. 2014)
Impact of chemical residue in foods on human health?
Glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup) has
been linked to Celiac and other gut related
disease.
Recent studies into non- communicable diseases
indicate links to chemicals such as
organophosphate pesticide (OP) in food
production, packaging and plastics.
UC Davis MIND Institute project is looking at the
correlations between impaired development such
as autism and ADHD with agricultural pesticides.
Study by the Environmental Working Group
(EWG) in 2015 found that consumers ingested
pesticides with every day conventionally grown
produce with 2/3 of produce samples tested
containing pesticide residue.
Source: The Independent, UK, June 2015
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Sustainable community, precinct and city frameworks have focused on creating
incremental adjustments to existing systems through local initiatives such as
storm water harvesting, green infrastructure and community gardens.
There is however a growing belief that urban planning and infrastructure must
focus on a different approach, a system that restores and regenerates ecosystem
services within the urban, peri-urban and rural ecology.
Source: Kellert, Heerwagen & Mador 2008; McLennan 2011; Reed, 2007
Image: Innovative Ecosystems
One Planet Living
In 2005, the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment
(MEA) released the most
extensive study of the
links between human
health and the world’s
ecosystems.
The MEA, a consortium of
hundreds of scientists
from over 70 nations,
organizes ‘ecosystem
services’ into four broad
categories.
Ecosystem Services, Agricultural & Urban Systems
Human Well-Being
Direct drivers of
ecosystem change

Natural

Biological

Land Use Change
Urban systems

Clean air and water supply

Habitat

Climate resilience

Social cohesion

Personal safety
Ecosystem Services

Provisioning services

Regulating Services

Cultural services

Supporting services
Impacts
Indirect drivers of
ecosystem change

Economic

Social

Cultural
Agricultural systems
Dependence 
Adequate livelihoods

Sufficient nutritious food,
fibre

Secure resource access

Supporting services

Cultural aspects
Source: Adapted from Sandhu & Wratten (2013)
Ecosystem Services & Agriculture
Ecosystem services to and from agricultural ecosystems including linkages between human
well-being and benefits obtained from ecosystem services that are provided by agriculture.
Source: Thiaw et al 2011
Regenerative Land Management Practices
FOOD SYSTEMS
Production
Harvest
/Packaging
Distribution
Sorting
Cleaning
Aggregation
Storing
Agents
Wholesalers
Markets
Farm Gate
Processing /
Manufacturing
Access /
Sales Outlet
Retailers
Restaurants/ca
fes
Health & Care
Schools
Caterers
Consumption
The food system is considered a complex adaptive
system with non-linear relationships between cause and
effect; the presence of feedback loops which can regulate
or amplify trends; the potential for alternate system states
that are maintained by different regimes; and the ability to
process information and respond to it.
Source: Simon 1962; Allen and Starr 1982; Gell-Mann 1992; Norberg and Cumming 2008
Food System Tiers
Source: Centre for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin Madison
Centralized Markets
Over the last century many local government markets have
been sold or evolved into corporate structured markets. Today
there are:
- 6 central wholesale markets located in Brisbane, Sydney,
Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth & Newcastle
- 3 privately owned wholesale markets in Canberra, Darwin
and Hobart
Local Food
In 1993 a Swedish study calculated the distance travelled by the ingredients of a
typical Swedish breakfast equal the circumference of the Earth. (Gunther 1993)
The book, The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating, published in 2007,
references a 100-mile radius of food production to consumption, as an area “large
enough to reach beyond a big city and small enough to feel truly local”. The book
arose form a local experiment by a Vancouver based couple to eat only food grow
or raised or produced from within a 100mile radius.
A Melbourne study in 2007 revealed that food items like oranges, sausages, tea,
baked beans with overseas ingredients have seen more of the world than most
people. The report estimated the total distance travelled by 29 of our most
common food items is 70,803 km. (Gaballa and Abraham 2007)
Regional Food Distribution Centres / Hubs
Intra-Region Distribution
farmers markets
micro
hub
micro
hub
micro
hub
macro hub
micro
hub
macro hub
Inter-region Markets
hub to hub on behalf of farmers
farmers
markets
Source: Jackson. S, 2015
FOOD STRATEGIES
Global Food Developments
FAO Food for the Cities Program
WHO Healthy Cities Program
RUAF Foundation, a leading centre of expertise in the field of (intra- and peri-)
Urban Agriculture and City Region Food Strategies
Milan Protocol – an international agreement aimed at improving sustainability in
the food chain
UK Sustainable Food Cities Network
UN Global Compact Cities Programme, Circles of Sustainability
Food Strategies
Emerging Role of Food Hubs
_ Build strong local and regional food systems
_ Provide efficient local and regional value
chain linkages at reduced scale & cost
compared to leading state industry players
_ Provide opportunities for small to mid-sized
producers to reach wholesale markets
_ Food hubs can serve as aggregator,
processor, and distributor but not all food
hubs perform every role
_ Food hubs offer products and services to
customers positioned both upstream and
downstream in the value chain
Source: Building Successful Food Hubs. 2012, Family Farmer
Defining Characteristics of a Regional Food Hub
Source: Fisher et al. 2013
Australian Food Hub Studies & Food Strategies
Other Food Hub
Feasibility Studies
Sunshine Coast,
QLD
Wangaratta, Vic
Wyndham, Vic
Localized Food
Sustainability
System
Social
- Health, Nutritious food available
- Access to fresh food – for all
- Diverse & cultural foods
- Connected community
Production
Aggregation
Processing
Manufacturing
Wholesale
Retail
Consumption
Environmental
- Sustainable farm practices to
support soil health, water system,
habitat & climate
Economic
- Farm business viability
- Local (short ) distribution chain incl.
retail, commercial, education and
health
- Value add local services supported,
i.e. specialty meats, preserves,
juicing, cheeses
Local Food Economy
Diverse local food
production & distribution
Urban & rural production
Value add food products
Hospitality
Food tourism & events
Connected stakeholders
Local Investment
Community inclusion
Food access
Adaptive to change
Regional food systems are intrinsically linked
to the sustainbility and resilience of urban
centers.
They contribute to social, cultural, ecological
and economic health.
Suzette Jackson
suzette@innateecology.com
www.InnateEcology.com