Local Organic Food Network

We have had further expansion of our ‘grow local, buy local’ campaign and infrastructure. We had two established ‘streams’ through which locally grown produce is flowing: Our Saturday morning Farmer’s Market, the in-store sales of local fruit and vegetables and this year a local ‘fruit and veggie box’ system was trialled for several weeks. It was a huge success and we are looking at a form of this restarting in November once local produce comes back on line.We believe that when ever possible Southlander’s should be growing food for Southlander’s. We have also organised several workshops for Organic Farm NZ Certification in Southland and now we have our first three growers certified under the Otago Organic Growers Association who are our mentors and assessors and another three on track for assessment later in the year. This is a new era where Southlander’s can buy high quality local certified organic produce and we hope this will spread throughout Southland. Our Farmer’s Market is a modest one when compared to those held in larger centres but it is unique in that it is entirely organic – we are the only farmer’s market in New Zealand able to make that claim, so far as we know. Our growers/farmers provide a good range of produce and have established regular networks and friendly relationships with their customers, despite having to stand out in sometimes cold and wet weather! We also presented our market at the recent trade fair. We would like every township in Southland to have a central spot where local produce can be shared and promoted. For example having slogans like ‘Buy Winton grown’ will encourage Southland to grow food for Southlanders which will provide a sustainable food supply and a buffer for any troubled times ahead. Less travel miles, fresher and therefore more nutritious produce with less waste. They also give us some food security should national and international food networks get disrupted. The empty shelves in supermarkets after the Christchurch earthquake were an important wake up call for us all. If Southlander’s could grow all their own food 100 years ago we surely could again now!