Melbourne’s food future: Planning a resilient city foodbowl

Abstract

Melbourne is surrounded by a highly productive foodbowl that currently grows a wide variety of fresh foods, but it faces challenges.

• Melbourne’s foodbowl grows 47% of the vegetables produced in Victoria and has the capacity to meet around 41% of Melbourne’s total food needs. • As Melbourne grows to a population of 7-8 million people by 2050, it will need at least 60% more food.

• If the city’s footprint continues to grow as it has in the past, the capacity of Melbourne’s foodbowl to meet the city’s food needs could fall to around 18% by 2050, due to population growth and urban sprawl.

• Loss of production in the foodbowl is likely to contribute to higher food prices.

• Melbourne’s foodbowl contributes $2.45 billion per annum to Melbourne’s regional economy and 21,000 full time equivalent jobs.

• Melbourne’s food supply faces future challenges from the impacts of climate change, including water scarcity and extreme weather events.

• Other major Australian state capitals also have productive foodbowls that contribute to fresh food supplies, but they are all under similar pressure from population growth and urban expansion. They are unlikely to be able to meet future deficits in Melbourne’s food needs.

Melbourne’s foodbowl is an important building block in a resilient and sustainable food future for the city.

• Ensuring a resilient food supply for Melbourne requires a precautionary planning approach that retains – or strengthens – the capacity of the city’s foodbowl.

• The loss of Melbourne’s foodbowl is not inevitable as the city grows. If growth on the city fringe can be limited to existing growth corridors and strong targets are set for urban infill and increased urban density, the impact on the city’s foodbowl can be reduced.

• Melbourne can plan for a resilient city foodbowl that provides healthy food for a growing population, promotes a vibrant regional food economy and acts as a buffer against future food system shocks.

• Increased investment in delivery of recycled water from water treatment plants could create ‘drought-proof’ areas of food production.

• A ‘joined up’ policy framework is required to plan for a resilient city foodbowl. Policy is needed to protect farmland, increase water access, reduce and reuse food waste, strengthen the regional food economy and attract farmers to farm in the city’s foodbowl.