Six Degrees joins the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance

Six Degrees has recently joined the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance:  a national collaboration of organisations and individuals working together towards a food system in which people have the opportunity to choose, create and manage their food supply from paddock to plate.

The purpose of the Alliance is to cooperate to create an equitable, sustainable and resilient food system for all Australians - a cause to which we are deeply committed.

The members of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance have jointly authored a statement supporting the participation of the social enterprise, small food business sector and the community food sector in the development of a national policy on food.

The statement proposes that the formulation of a national policy on food should be a democratic process involving the full range of food interests. The Alliance is concerned that only large corporate organisations would be included in its formulation and that this could skew the emphasis of a policy away from building a resilient food system in Australia that is inclusive of farmers (including market gardeners and small farmers), food processors and distributors including the emerging community-based food distribution systems.

The Alliance believes that economic scale and power should not be the sole criteria for participation in the formulation of a national policy on food. Our food system would work better by recognising the social value of diversity in food systems in delivering citizens the type of food they prefer at a price they can afford.

Market conditions force the small, community-based food initiatives and the social enterprise and small, for-profit food businesses to be innovative in their work. This can only add value to any deliberation over a national policy on food.

With the release of the statement, Alliance co-founder and community-supported agriculture practitioner Mr Robert Pekin told the media: 

With food and agriculture fundamental to the wellbeing of every Australian, smaller organisations, businesses and individuals should have a say in how policy is made in this vital area.

Hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of Australians are directly involved in building a sustainable, resilient, health-promoting and socially just food system.

A well-functioning food system should do three things: take care of the environment, provide safe and nourishing food to all people – regardless of their capacity to pay – and provide a sustainable livelihood for those producing the food.

To date, the statement has been circulated as a letter to politicians from all political parties with portfolios relating to agriculture, biosecurity and food production. With the outcome of the election still in the balance, the Alliance will continue to lobby all sides of politics for the achievement of a mature national food policy. 

Download the statement here.

Find out more about the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance here.