Who is responsible for Sydney’s food security?

The double crises of COVID-19 and catastrophic bushfires in 2020 exposed underlying fragilities in Australia’s food security. Supply chain issues contributed to empty supermarket shelves and, according to Foodbank data, as many as one in six Australians lacked regular access to food in 2021.

Resilient, sustainable food production

Food security is defined as ensuring that food that is accessible, affordable, healthy and desirable. It should also be produced and distributed sustainably in that the food system:

• includes sufficient local production
• is safe and environmentally sustainable
• supports farmer livelihoods; and
• contributes to the economy.

The importance of peri-urban food production

For cities, local food production in surrounding peri-urban areas is an important contributor to food security.

The Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) researchers have long been concerned with Sydney’s peri-urban food production and have researched the role that a resilient peri-urban food system plays in mitigating supply issues and ensuring the health and wellbeing of communities. Past research has looked at the effects of Sydney’s urban sprawl on food production and supply and mapped Sydney’s current and potential food production zones.

This project builds on our work by looking more closely at NSW government food policy, particularly as it relates to the sustainability and resilience of Sydney’s peri-urban food system. The research explores who is responsible for ensuring food security and resilient food systems in NSW.

Who’s in charge?

In reviewing relevant policy pertaining to food security, our researchers found that:

1. There is no single department or jurisdiction that is responsible for the food system as a whole
2. While there are many policies relating to different parts of the food system, there is no unifying policy in NSW that adequately recognises and governs all aspects of a functioning, sustainable food system, and
3. There are crucial policy gaps, particularly in relation to affordability of fresh food and environmental sustainability of local food production.

ISF Associate Professor and Research Director Dr Dana Cordell says, “It is somewhat concerning that while food is a public good – and a human right – food security doesn’t attract the same policy attention and commitment as water or energy security. It is largely left to market forces and the food supply chain.”

Oversight means benefits

A holistic approach to Sydney’s food system can have enormous benefits, from improving peoples’ livelihoods and minimising strain on the public health system, to reducing energy and waste in food value chains and supporting the city’s resilience.

To achieve this, our research recommends that the NSW Government prioritises development of a comprehensive food policy that would coordinate multiple sectors and institutions representing public health, urban planning, amenities, water and agriculture. The comprehensive policy should also safeguard local peri-urban food production and support access to healthy food for vulnerable groups.