Infographic: A vision for a resilient city foodbowl for Melbourne

In this vision, Melbourne retains its city fringe farmland as a source of fresh, healthy food as the city grows. Highly perishable fruits and vegetables continue to grow close to the city in the inner foodbowl, while a wider variety of food is produced in the outer foodbowl. Farmers can bring produce grown in the foodbowl to regional food hubs, where it is sold on to local restaurants, hospitals and food outlets. Food produced in Melbourne’s foodbowl is easy for consumers to identify and widely available through a diverse range of food outlets. Many Melbournians also grow some of their own food at home or in shared spaces, increasing their access to healthy food and also their awareness of how food is grown.

Food grown on the city fringe is processed within the foodbowl, adding value and creating more jobs. Innovative schemes are established to enable new farmers to begin farming in Melbourne’s foodbowl, reducing barriers to land access. Infrastructure is expanded to deliver high quality recycled water to farmers from the city’s water treatment plants, and areas of farmland close to the city’s water treatment plants are protected and developed as ‘drought proof’ areas of food production. Infrastructure is also expanded to collect and process organic waste and food waste, turning it into fertilisers that can be used on farms. Harnessing waste streams in this way reduces the city’s risk from the chronic stresses of water scarcity and declining supplies of conventional fertilisers, strengthening the city’s food security.