WiserEarth Area of Focus Suggestions

Welcome to our Bioregional Food Security Group (BFG for short)

The Network has a small working group focused on food sustainability in the Greater Blue Mountains bioregion (Australia). It aims to improve community awareness of the availability of locally-grown chemical-free food within this bioregion, facilitate communication among existing gardeners and farmers and among the various groups promoting local food-production, eg BM Community Gardens, the BM Food Sustainability Group, BM Slow Food and Cittaslow Katoomba BM.

The group's first major project is to create a map of the bioregion with layers of information regarding the current food security in this region. This will include where certified organic farmers and orchardists are, where you can sample and buy their food; where permaculture-inspired food-gardeners are coming together to share their produce; and where you can learn how to become a permacultural food-gardener.

Our Concept of the Greater Blue Mountains Bioregion

Following Robyn Francis' definition of a bioregion as:

"an area of land, usually defined by both natural and cultural boundaries, which can provide most of the needs of the people within that region. Typically [it has] a town . . . at the main node of the bioregion . . ."

we see the most useful concept of our bioregion as the Greater Blue Mountains area as seen in the linked map below.

This region takes in the mountain ridge as well as the surrounding slopes and valleys, with catchment extensions for some food crops to include the Hawkesbury Valley to the east and as far as the Bathurst area to the west. NB This is a different conceptualisation from that which defines the biogeographical region known as the Sydney Basin. That area is far too large and diverse for us to use as a basis for sustainability planning on a community scale.

http://www.visitbluemountains.com.au/blue-mountains-region.php (click on Travel Guide map)

Project Documents

links to existing articles on the project

Summary of the Project

Emergence of bioregional food security

Latest draft of the bioregional register in the Blue Mountains

Mapping the food potential of the Blue Mountains (draft — for comment only)

Designing our way to a sustainable local food system

Food Security Information and Data

 (links to the google spreadsheets environment for adding data)

Draft Mapping Outline

ABSStatisticsLGABlueMountainsPopulation2008

ABSStatisitcsLGABlueMountainsIndustry2008

Meeting Notes

10th April 2009

Members Active in Project

lizzieconnor

csalter

katska

pestasides

anitran

plantsman993