Welcome to the Australian Local Food System Policy Database. This is a collection of policies from New South Wales (NSW) and Victorian local governments that relate to healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.
For further information about using the database and how it was created see How to use the database. You can search the database by using the fields below. Domain refers to eight broad categories under which various topics are situated. The domains and topics are based on a framework of recommendations for local government action on creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system (also located on the ‘How to use the database’ page linked above).
To cite the database: Reeve B, Carrad A, Rose N, Charlton K & Aguirre-Bielschowsky I (2021) Australian Local Food System Policy Database. Available at: https://law-food-systems.sydney.edu.au/policy-database (access date).
Suggested search terms
Hold Ctrl to select multiple terms. Using ‘any words’ functions as an “OR” search. Using ‘all words’ functions as and “AND” search.
Search Criteria:
| Document title | Relevant text in the policy | Domain | Topic | State | Local Government name | Council type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | 3.24 Coordinate an annual calendar of workshops to support food growing and cooking that may include preserving and seed saving | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Advocate and apply for food systems funding (for labour to develop / implement key projects i.e. funding to implement next phase of Grow, Cook, Share project) | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Bendigo Foodshare Over 12,400 people every week have improved food security through the work of over 120 volunteers at Bendigo Foodshare. An incredible 650,000 kgs of food that would otherwise go to waste (food that would have ended up in landfill) was donated by over 30 local producers and retailers in 201819. The rescue of this food not only helps people in need, but also reduces CO2 emissions from landfill and prevents the waste of the water used in its production. The food is distributed to those in need by 87 partner organisations, including schools, charities, neighbourhood houses, health services and community organisations. The current ‘Grow a Row or Pick a Branch’ campaign has engaged over 400 people and doubled the volume of fresh food donations from backyards, schools, community gardens and retailers. The food that is donated supports schools to provide breakfast and lunches to children who would otherwise go hungry, provides food for community meals and cooking programs and food for those experiencing food poverty. | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Better utilise the knowledge and skill base of community gardens and schools for example, as demonstration sites for organic waste | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Community gardens There are over 10 community gardens in the municipality and even more school gardens. There are community gardens in the following areas: • Bendigo • Quarry Hill • Long Gully • Eaglehawk • Kangaroo Flat • Heathcote Edible Oasis House Made House Grown Gravel Hill Community Garden Growing food in public spaces using raised wicking garden boxes – 12 boxes across various locations in Greater Bendigo Vocational training program in a community garden, including food swap | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Community Grants Program The City of Greater Bendigo’s Community Grants Program provides an opportunity for not-for-profit groups or a registered business to develop projects that complement areas identified as priorities in the Community Plan 20172021, such as supporting schools and community groups to establish and maintain vegetable/kitchen gardens, establishing school breakfast programs | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Community Plants – Us to You Program The Loddon Prison’s program run in partnership with Bendigo Kangan TAFE enables prisoners the opportunity to study a Certificate II in Horticulture while growing and gifting seedling punnets to schools, kindergartens and community groups from Castlemaine to Swan Hill. More than 200 prisoners have been involved in the Community Plant Project over the past four years, learning valuable skills while giving back to the community. The project gives prisoners a chance to get hands on, practical experience as part of their horticulture studies – but it’s also so much more than that. It teaches skills they could use to gain employment, while giving something positive back to the community. | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Continue to build water efficient wicking beds for community and key settings such as aged care facilities 3.28 Build a therapeutic horticulture community garden to enhance the wellbeing and health of community members | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Continue to offer worm farms and compost bin subsidies for residents in rural townships outside of the Organics boundary | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Continue to update the City’s Home Grown Booklet as required | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Currently, three primary schools within the municipality have registered SAKGP | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Develop and maintain an ‘information hub’ that provides a platform for sharing resources to support existing and new community gardens including policies, guidelines, relevant resources, grant opportunities and promote opportunities for people to participate | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Expanding the growing capacity of gardens to produce fresh food to feed those in need (providing for the Grow, Cook, Share cooking clubs) | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Facilitate healthy cooking classes for community, with garden to plate approach, using produce grown onsite 3.30 Seek funding opportunities to extend ‘Grow a Row, Pick a Branch’ campaign to support community gardens and engagement with young people | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Facilitate partnerships between community gardens, local producers and growers, schools and emergency food relief agencies 3.17 Deliver accessible community food growing workshops and programs specific to our local climate | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Grow, Cook, Share Project The Bendigo Regional Food Alliance, in partnership with The Salvation Army, Bendigo Foodshare, Bendigo Kangan TAFE, Loddon Prison and Coliban Water, received funding from the Victorian Government’s Pick My Project community grants to implement the Grow Cook Share Project. The project aims to establish and support local Cooking Clubs at food relief and community meal sites throughout the Greater Bendigo region. The clubs will utilise fresh produce from the Gravel Hill Community Garden and Bendigo Foodshare (community and school gardens have started donating fresh produce to Bendigo Foodshare through the ‘Grow a Row, Pick a Branch’ campaign) and provide an opportunity for people accessing food relief to develop the confidence and skills to prepare healthy meals for themselves and their families. | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Include indigenous food growing at Gravel Hill Community Garden | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Investigate how an increase in Biomix compost made from City of Greater Bendigo’s Organics Waste can be re-distributed back into the Greater Bendigo Community | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Investigate interest and feasibility in a ‘tool sharing’ program | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Investigate the need and interest in establishing and supporting a community gardens network that may share resources, knowledge, ideas etc. | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Local chefs, volunteers and organisations are establishing and support cooking clubs using food harvested from community gardens. The clubs will provide low income and vulnerable people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to cook and choose healthy food for themselves and their families. Gravel Hill Community Garden will be expanded to grow more food for the program and at least 6 cooking clubs will be established | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Multiple other settings offer variations of the kitchen garden program to their students, parents and carers | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Objective 3: Support local food growing and producing, sourcing, cooking and sharing knowledge, skills and culture | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | People gardening for food at least once per month | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Review the Community Gardens Policy for City of Greater Bendigo and update as required 3.7 Develop a ‘risk map’ to determine areas affected by soil contamination to support and manage risk of urban agriculture and backyard food growing | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Space for growing food, educating and processing • Home Grown • Smart gardens for a dry climate • Indigenous Plants of Bendigo: a gardeners guide to growing and protecting local plants | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Support diverse cultures to share their food growing and cooking knowledge and expertise | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Support for community gardens (network, information hub) | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Support schools and early learning centres to implement the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program (SAKGP) or equivalent | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |
| GREATER BENDIGO’S FOOD SYSTEM STRATEGY 2020-2030 | Support the establishment of new community gardens where there is a demonstrated need and interest | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Greater Bendigo | Regional |