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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Review and revise the local planning policy related to agriculture. This project will consider emerging issues such as: food miles, food security, water availability and consumer preference for local produce. Ensure | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Agribusiness Yarra Valley (formerly known as the Centre for Agriculture and Business Yarra Valley (CAB) – is the regional agribusiness forum. It is a partnership between stakeholders, industry and government to support sustainable agricultural/ business development. Council provides Agribusiness Yarra Valley with annual funding to be an effective source of relevant information to agribusiness, be the lead agency for coordinating activities, and represent the views of agribusiness in the Region. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Council will continue to apply the Farm Rate4 and employ an Agribusiness officer. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Council will continue to support Agribusiness Yarra Valley as a forum for the local industry and advocate on behalf of agriculture. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Current Council programs – Council supports agriculture through a variety of mechanisms discussed earlier in this report including applying the urban farm land rating to intensive agricultural properties, supporting the Centre for Agriculture and Business and landcare activities and employing an agribusiness officer. It is imperative that Council continues to encourage and support land management programs that promote sustainable land management practices including protecting waterways, revegetation and soil conservation measures. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Develop Council policy position and related design guidelines for agricultural structures in the landscape. Examples include hail netting large sheds and rural industrial buildings. Revise Horticultural Structures policy and produce information sheets as needed to clearly establish Council’s priorities and processes. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Develop/improve planning information sheets on common agricultural and rural planning permits. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Explore and support the benefits of increasing carbon in the soil through agricultural processes. Future trading could be financially beneficial for farmers and landholders. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Investigate a policy position for agricultural structures to provide guidance to the agricultural community on their use in areas of landscape significance. Explore the possibility of a Code of Practice/ Local Planning policy for environmental covers/ hail netting or other similar structures. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Prepare information, guidelines and web based resources for agribusiness and rural residents on the responsible use of devices with amenity impacts such as bird scaring devices, frost fans and other rural industries. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| GREEN WEDGE MANAGEMENT PLAN | Review planning policy to support the provision of accommodation for seasonal workers. (Backpacker or Budget.) | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Yarra Ranges | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Consider policy and land use options (that comply with the planning scheme) to allow agricultural enterprises to diversify income sources by supporting complementary activities such as farm gate sales, events, education and accommodation. | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | • Providing incentives for private landholders to implement sustainable land management practices and conserve biodiversity via our Land Management Incentive Scheme, Sustainable Agriculture Rebate and Trust for Nature covenanted land rebate. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | A4.10 Advocate to the Victorian Government that it alters planning and other controls to: • allow landholders a right to farm in the Rural Conservation Zone on pre-existing cleared agricultural land with decision guidelines to avoid damage to surrounding properties or environment • support supplementary rural business activities, such as farm gate sales, farm stays and other low environmental amenity impact enterprises, that are consistent with green wedge values • to support small-scale and productive hobby farming. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Continue to apply the sustainable agricultural rate rebate and the primary producer rate rebate. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Environment, agriculture, tourism, recreation or nature-based opportunities will also be encouraged throughout the green wedge where they demonstrate environmental, social and economic benefits. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Further examination is warranted to determine whether the current application of the zones to private land within the green wedge hinders any of the objectives of this plan, particularly in relation to the promotion of agriculture and tourism. The GWZ promotes agriculture and tourism and appears to work well in its current location. Similarly, the Special Use Zone that applies to the Bend of Islands is long-established and works well for its community. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Hobby, small-scale agricultural production and the keeping of animals are important community activities in the green wedge. They are supported by local farmers markets and activities that encourage ‘food exchanges’. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Local agriculture is valuable to the functioning of the green wedge, which is a mosaic of farming, nature conservation, townships and rural living. This value should be protected for its contribution not only to the overall agricultural objective for green wedges, but also metropolitan objectives for tourism, landscape and cultural heritage. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Nillumbik’s green wedge will be protected and enhanced through continued application of the urban growth boundary. Decision making will reflect the green wedge as a place for environment and biodiversity conservation, agriculture, recreation, tourism and rural living. This will also ensure that the rural character, values, landscapes, townships, natural environments and lifestyles that are so cherished, are identified, preserved and enhanced. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | O4.2 Encourage sustainable, diversified and productive agriculture, access to markets and the right to farm. O4.3 Encourage sustainable and regenerative agriculture. O4.4 Recognise the contribution of hobby (or small-scale) farming in the green wedge with supportive policy put in place. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | providing rebates for Trust for Nature covenanted land and for properties that demonstrate sustainable agriculture practices | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Support farming and land management practices that protect and regenerate soil capacity and fertility. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | The Victorian Government is currently reviewing the impact of planning controls on strategic agriculture in Melbourne’s green wedges and peri-urban areas. Council will support changes that improve the right to farm but will not support forms of agriculture or animal production that may damage surrounding properties or the environment. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | There is a strong state planning policy framework that applies to rural living, including: • Protection of human life from bushfire being the top priority. • Protection of agriculture and prevention of the loss of agricultural land to other land uses. • Residential development to be in existing urban settlements which can better service people’s needs. • Ensuring no net loss to biodiversity as a result of the removal, destruction or lopping of native vegetation. • Protection of waterway corridors as areas of environmental significance and open natural space. • Giving priority to conserving and enhancing the landscape ahead of residential development in the Rural Conservation Zone. Council will help the community to navigate through the complex regulatory and planning approvals system. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | To ensure that land remains available for agriculture, encourage and facilitate consolidation by landowners of agricultural lots in common ownership and discourage the further fragmentation of agricultural lands. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | To inform future policy development, conduct research into the types of agriculture that are likely to be successful in the green wedge and compatible with its environmental and lifestyle values. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | With land owner support and appropriate privacy protections in place, compile a database of agricultural activity and practices, including hobby farming and pests that need to be managed. Maintain this database into the future for program development. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | An important role of Nillumbik’s green wedge is to manage and protect these catchments for: • Local users of water for agriculture, environmental conservation, rural living and firefighting. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |
| Green Wedge Management Plan | Hobby, small-scale agricultural production and the keeping of animals are important community activities in the green wedge. They are supported by local farmers markets and activities that encourage ‘food exchanges’. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Nillumbik | Metropolitan |