Michael Claessens, Food in the Capital - Growing a sustainable agrifood hub & region

Nourishing Matters to Chew On

Imagine. Our nation's capital, Canberra becomes a great food, garden city, extended farmers market, food tourism destination and hub for local and regional food production, value adding, resilience and innovation. Why not? Why not indeed! Big ideas and conversations for food justice, sustainability and business innovation are all part of what my great conversation with Michael Claessens, CEO of Regional Development Australia (RDA) ACT, is all about in this episode.

Michael and his team are the force behind Food in The Capital and the Canberra Region Food Collaborative; all part of the effort towards the ACT Government's Food and Fibre Strategy that's currently being developed.

Food as an essential service, supply resilience, affordability, market demand for food provenance, sustainability and more along with the planning for climate, COVID and 'other' shocks are all part of what Michael's work is all about and it's inspiring stuff - building a sustainable agrifood hub.

Currently 95% of Canberra's food is shipped in from major markets in Sydney or Melbourne. That could (and should) all change over the coming decade as Michael suggests and is working toward (and what a cool idea, a healthy greens production path from Goulburn to Canberra!).

Facilitating strategic conversations to grow business and community 'food' opportunities for stronger local and regional food resilience, jobs, value adding, better logistics, training and more is key to what Food in The Capital is all about. Every city needs more robust food buffers, storage, local production and better food logistics and collaboration.

Listen in, be inspired by Michael and what RDA ACT have underway and how what they do amplifies other local and regional 'food' innovations. Hear about the innovators they collaborate with, learn from and relate to their place - Canberra and the greater region. Great initiatives, voices and projects out there that include: Alana Mann, Rachel Carey, Nick Rose/SUSTAIN, AFSA, Open Food Network, Community Gardens Australia, Oz Harvest and more.

Listen in, hear about upcoming events and conferences:

• ‘Victualis’ Sustainable Food dinner and RDA Expo featuring regional female food producers for policy makers and key stakeholder leaders on September 28 2022
• Food in the Capital Conference (FIC3) during 2023, likely to coincide with a major regenerative farming conference
• Register to receive our newsletter for news of upcoming events Home – RDA (rdaact.org.au)

Food in the Capital

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