Integrating Agriculture and Food Policy To Achieve Sustainable Peri-urban Fruit and Vegetable Production in Victoria, Australia

Authors

  • Rachel Carey Deakin University
  • Fanny Krumholz Deakin University
  • Kena Duignan Deakin University
  • Kathy McConell Deakin University
  • Jessica L. Browne Deakin University
  • Catherine Burns Deakin University
  • Mark Lawrence Deakin University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2011.013.003

Keywords:

Peri-Urban Agriculture, Food Policy, Land Use, Zoning, Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consump­tion are a significant aspect of national approaches to preventive health. However, policy frameworks for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption rarely take an integrated food-systems approach that includes a focus on production. In this policy analysis and commentary we examine fruit and vegetable production in peri-urban areas of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and highlight the significance of emerging environmental and eco­nomic pressures on fruit and vegetable production. This examination will be of interest to other locations around the world also experiencing pressure on their peri-urban agriculture. These pressures suggest that the availability and afforda­bility of fruit and vegetable supplies cannot be taken for granted, and that future initiatives to increase fruit and vegetable consumption should include a focus on sustainable production. Threats to production that include environmental pressures, together with the loss and cost of peri-urban agri­cultural land and a cost-price squeeze due to rising input costs and low farm-gate prices, act in combi­nation to threaten the viability of the Victorian fruit and vegetable industries. We pro­pose that policy initiatives to increase fruit and vegetable consumption should include measures to address the pressures facing production, and that the most effective policy responses are likely to be integrated approaches that aim to increase fruit and vegetable availability and affordability through innovative solutions to problems of production and distribu­tion. Some brief examples of potential integrated policy solutions are identified to illu­strate the possibilities and stimulate discussion.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Rachel Carey, Deakin University

Food Policy Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia.

Fanny Krumholz, Deakin University

Food Policy Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia.

Kena Duignan, Deakin University

Food Policy Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia.

Kathy McConell, Deakin University

Food Policy Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia.

Jessica L. Browne, Deakin University

WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia.

Catherine Burns, Deakin University

Food Policy Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia.

Mark Lawrence, Deakin University

Food Policy Unit, WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia.

Published

2011-04-28

How to Cite

Carey, R., Krumholz, F., Duignan, K., McConell, K., Browne, J. L., Burns, C., & Lawrence, M. (2011). Integrating Agriculture and Food Policy To Achieve Sustainable Peri-urban Fruit and Vegetable Production in Victoria, Australia. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 1(3), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2011.013.003