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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Encourage innovative environmental and native vegetation retention initiatives, including carbon farming and managing native vegetation offsetting to be applied within the municipality. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Investigate a Land Management Biodiversity Incentive Scheme that recognizes and rewards landowners that implement land management principles and practices to improve sustainable agricultural opportunities and protect and enrich the environment | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Liaise with the state government to provide extension support for farmers and more research and development facilities in the North East that can assist farmers in cool climate farming practices. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Limit rural lifestyle use and development to defined rural residential settlements or zoned areas in proximity to urban areas where potential adverse impacts on agricultural and other rural based uses are minimised. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Limit the cumulative impact of house lot excisions, including serial small lot subdivisions. Ensure that house lot excisions are undertaken for legitimate reasons related to agriculture. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Minimise the impact of pest plants and pest animals to protect environmental and biodiversity values and agricultural land. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Objective 2, Environmental values: Maintain, conserve and enhance the natural environment and environmental and values in rural areas. Strategies: Achieve ecologically sustainable use, development and management of rural land, particularity in the agricultural, timber and other industries that rely on the natural resources. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Objective 2, Rural dwellings: Ensure that rural dwellings are linked to and required for an agricultural, associated rural activity or rural tourism purpose. Strategies: Ensure that dwellings in rural areas maintain agricultural production and do not impact on the right to farm. Discourage the proliferation of dwellings not associated with agriculture. Require any dwelling proposal to demonstrate that a dwelling is required to support a legitimate, established agricultural or rural activity. Discourage the proliferation of dwellings where the agricultural use of the land does not require the presence of a land manager. Ensure that dwellings do not result in the further fragmentation of productive agricultural land. Ensure that the development of dwellings in rural areas does not prejudice existing agricultural activities on surrounding land. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Objective 2, Strategically significant agricultural land: Maintain and protect strategically significant agricultural land for production. Strategies: Protect strategically significant agricultural land to support existing and future agricultural industries and the economic performance of agriculture. Ensure that agricultural land is maintained for the cost-effective production of agricultural food and raw materials. Protect strategically significant agricultural land for the continued operation of agricultural production. Ensure that rural land is used and developed in a way that will support efficient agricultural production. Encourage and support sustainable agricultural practices that are capable of increasing productivity levels. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Objective 3, Rural lifestyle: Ensure that rural lifestyle use and development is directed to existing areas zoned for rural lifestyle or areas where it can be demonstrated that the development meets the policy guidelines for rural lifestyle development. Strategies: Limit rural lifestyle development in agricultural areas, particularly on ‘high versatility’ land. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Policy guidelines: Consider a proposal for a dwelling for rural lifestyle purposes if the land: Is less than 4 hectares in area; Is of low agricultural value and versatility; | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Recommended changes to the Alpine Planning Scheme propose to amend strategic directions for the rural sector to reinforce the importance of agricultural and rural uses, strengthening and promoting appropriate current and emerging rural activities. Recommended amendments to the Alpine Planning Scheme do not propose any changes to the current planning controls in relation to subdivision size or requirements for dwellings in the Farming Zone. The strategy does however make some recommendations for the: Further review of Rural Activity and Rural Living Zones, if warranted in the future. Ongoing review of existing planning scheme overlays that apply the rural areas of the municipality, ensuring the protection of rural character and recognising existing land values or constraints. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Rural subdivision, dwellings and lifestyle: Include the following objectives and strategies for rural subdivision, dwellings lifestyle: Objective 1, Rural subdivision: Ensure that rural subdivision is linked to and required for an agricultural, associated rural activity or rural tourism purpose. Strategies: Limit further fragmentation of rural land by subdivision. Ensure that rural subdivision maintains agricultural production and does not impact on the right to farm. Ensure that subdivision proposals create lots of sufficient size to be of benefit to agricultural production. Retain the potential for large scale, broadacre based farming enterprises. Encourage the consolidation of rural lots. 49 | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Support and encourage the expansion of the dairy industry, retaining larger lot sizes in core dairy areas. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Support and encourage the expansion of the horticultural industry, recognising that horticultural activities may be legitimately established on smaller allotments. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | The following strategic directions (‘pillars’) were identified through the strategy process and community consultation: Protection of agricultural land. Protection of rural amenity/ landscape values. Facilitating rural based tourism including agri-tourism. Providing limited opportunities for rural lifestyle with limited development potential in remote and other rural areas. Protection of environmental assets located in rural areas. The strategy outlines directions and guidance for each of these major land use directions. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Ensure that land use and development in water catchments does not adversely affect the quality and quantity of water that is available for domestic and agricultural consumption. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Support and encourage the expansion of the dairy industry, retaining larger lot sizes in core dairy areas. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Support and maintain the cattle industry. | Sustainability and Environment | Animal husbandry | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Objective 1, Transport and infrastructure: Facilitate appropriate infrastructure to support agricultural and rural tourism uses and growth. Strategies: Provide an adequate level of infrastructure to service agricultural, commercial and tourism uses and developments in rural areas. Provide appropriate infrastructure to support agricultural growth, maintaining a safe and efficient road network in the municipality. | Sustainability and Environment | Strengthen food chain connections/distribution | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Ensure that dwellings in rural areas maintain agricultural production and do not impact on the right to farm. | Economic Development | Food related job creation | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Investigate suitable housing locations for dairy and seasonal horticultural farm workers –farm workers may not need to live on the farm, however they do require suitable accommodation near the farm. | Economic Development | Food related job creation | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy |  Ensure that rural subdivision maintains agricultural production and does not impact on the right to farm. | Economic Development | Food related job creation | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Encourage growth in rural tourism and facilitate future tourism opportunities to diversify the rural economy. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Recognise and protect the landscape and tourism values of the agricultural sector.  Recognise the economic value of agricultural landscapes along key touring routes. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Strategies:  Ensure that rural based tourism is linked to agriculture, agri-tourism or the natural environment, reinforcing the predominant use of the rural area for agricultural production and maintaining the rural character of the area. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy |  Ensure that rural based tourism builds on and is compatible with other rural land uses and protect the landscape, environmental and heritage values of the area. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy |  Facilitating rural based tourism including agri-tourism. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy |  Promote agri-tourism uses, encouraging and promoting non-traditional agri-tourism experiences. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |
| Alpine Shire Rural Land Strategy | Ensure that dwellings in rural areas maintain agricultural production and do not impact on the right to farm. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Alpine | Regional |