Learn how to make the case for food resilience planning
Making the case for food resilience planning can facilitate access to resources and support to take action
Key steps and tools
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Global food systems are being affected by more frequent and severe shocks that are disrupting food supply chains, including climate shocks, pandemic and geopolitical events. Food systems are also under pressure from underlying stresses, such as biodiversity loss and high levels of food waste.
Shocks and stresses contribute to rising food prices and food insecurity. Approximately 8% of adults in the state of Victoria experienced severe food insecurity in 2022, a 40% rise in 2 years [1].
Shocks and stresses have impacts across all stages of food supply chains, and action is needed from farm to fork to build the long-term resilience of food systems.
A resilient food system delivers an adequate supply of nutritious and culturally acceptable food to everyone, even during shocks to food systems. Resilient food systems can adapt and transform, building longer term resilience to future shocks and stresses [1].
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Facts and figures about the frequency and impacts of shocks and stresses on food systems can help to make the case for taking action to strengthen the resilience of food systems. Gathering evidence about the local and regional food system by assessing and mapping will further strengthen the case for food resilience planning.
Issue Facts and figures Food systems are being disrupted by more frequent and severe shocks due to climate change and geopolitical conflicts Extreme weather events (e.g. bushfire, storms and flood) are likely to become more frequent and more severe due to climate change [3] The Victorian agriculture sector accounted for around 18% of the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2022 [4] Climate change has affected the profitability of farms in Victoria, with average profits estimated to have fallen by approximately 37% from 2000 to 2020 [5] During the 2019-2020 bushfires approximately 22% of farmland was burnt across fire-affected areas of Victoria, causing an estimated $325m damage to Victorian farms [6] Food systems are under pressure from underlying stresses e.g. water scarcity, biodiversity loss and high levels of food waste The agriculture sector is the biggest water user in Victoria [7]. River systems can be degraded by over-extraction of water for use on farms. Approximately 312 kg of food waste was produced per person in Australia in 2018-19, contributing around 3% of national annual greenhouse gas emissions [8] Supply chain disruptions can increase food waste e.g. during flooding events, fire and due to changes in market demand [9] [10] Shocks and stresses have impacts throughout food systems that lead to rising food prices and growing food insecurity In 2022, 8.1% of Victorian adults experienced severe food insecurity in the past 12 months [1] Prevalence of food insecurity is significantly higher in some parts of Victoria and among some population groups. For example, in 2022 almost one in five unemployed Victorian adults experienced severe food insecurity [1] Supply chain disruptions increase the cost of labour and freight e.g. during the COVID-19 pandemic [11] Food prices increased by 12% during the Millennium Drought (2005-2007). Fresh vegetables increased around 33% and the price of fresh fruit by 43% [12] Tools and templates
- A presentation to help make the case for food resilience planning
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Actions are needed across food supply chains from farm to fork to strengthen the resilience of food systems. People and organisations in many sectors have a role in planning resilient food systems. Understand your role by considering how the activities of your organisation influence the resilience of food systems and the levers available to you to strengthen resilience.
Sector Roles in food resilience planning Health Promoting dignified access to healthy, sustainable and culturally appropriate food Creating healthy and sustainable food environments Environment Protecting biodiversity Promoting strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change Supporting farmers to implement regenerative and agroecological agricultural practices Water Encouraging sustainable use of water resources for agriculture that maintains environmental and cultural water flows Increasing use of recycled water and treated stormwater for food production in urban and peri-urban areas Waste and recycling Preventing and recycling food waste throughout food supply chains Building circular food economies that retain valuable nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen in the food system Emergency management Promoting dignified access to healthy and culturally appropriate food during emergencies Building community food resilience to prepare for emergencies Community Supporting dignified access to healthy, sustainable and culturally appropriate food Enabling citizens to participate in shaping their food systems Planning Protecting agricultural land Preventing development of unhealthy food outlets at incompatible locations Promoting development of diverse food retail, including independent stores and public markets Increasing availability of urban land for food production sand spaces for community food growing in new developmentsUrban development Including spaces for community food growing in new developments Integrating community orchards into new developments Transportation Supporting diverse food transportation routes into regions Providing infrastructure for public transport to access healthy food sources -
The resilience of Victoria’s food system is influenced by a wide range of government policies and legislation. This includes policies and legislation relating to the environment (such as management of natural resources), climate change, public health, disaster preparedness, and the economy (see figure below).
If decisions in related policy portfolios are taken without regard to their impact on the resilience of food systems, it can lead to adverse outcomes. For example, a decision in the land use planning portfolio to rezone areas of horticultural production for urban development could reduce supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, while a decision to increase water supply to urban areas could reduce the supply of water available for irrigated agriculture.
Victorian Government policy and food resilience planning
Victorian Government policy portfolio Links to food resilience planning Examples of key policies and legislation* Agriculture - The Victorian Government manages agricultural legislation and regulation, including animal welfare, biosecurity, food safety and forestry
- The Victorian Government can strengthen resilience through policy that builds regional food supply chains
Strong, Innovative, Sustainable: A new strategy for agriculture in Victoria (2020)
Water - The Victorian Government holds primary responsibility for water resource management, often in conjunction with catchment management authorities
. - Water policy can encourage greater use of recycled water and treated stormwater for food production in peri-urban areas
Water is Life, Traditional Owner Access to Water Roadmap (2022)
Land use planning - The Victorian Planning and Environment Act 1987 establishes the legislative framework for land use planning and sets the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPP)
- Land use planning can protect agricultural land from urban development, make land available for urban agriculture and encourage diverse and decentralised food supply chains
Planning and Environment Act 1987 Plan for Victoria: A plan by Victorians, for Victorians (2025)
Environment, recycling and waste - The Victorian Government has a target to halve food waste
- Prevention and recycling of food waste reduces GHG emissions and promotes a circular food economy
- Policies that promote regenerative and agroecological approaches to food production can strengthen resilience
Recycling Victoria: A new economy (2020)
The Path to Half. Solutions to halve Victoria’s food waste by 2030 (2020)
Climate change - The Victorian Government has legislated to reduce GHG emissions to net zero emissions by 2045
- Climate change policy aims to reduce GHG emissions and the impacts of climate change, including severe weather events (e.g. flooding) and long-term stresses (e.g. drought)
Public health - The Victorian public health and wellbeing plan identifies “healthy and more equitable, sustainable food systems across Victoria” as a priority
- Integrated food system policies can promote access to healthy, sustainable and culturally appropriate food
- Monitoring dietary intake and food security provides data to guide decision-making
Food safety - Food standards are compiled by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and regulation is shared at federal, state and local government levels
- Food safety ensures that food remains safe for human consumption throughout food supply chains
Emergency management - Responsibilities are shared across state and local government, civil society organisations and industry
- Emergency preparedness guidelines can support people to plan to adequately feed themselves during disasters and provide food relief
Critical infrastructure - Critical infrastructure management ensures continued availability of food during an emergency
- Critical infrastructure policy is governed by a food and grocery supply group (federal) and food and grocery resilience sector network (state)
Critical Infrastructure Resilience Strategy (2015) Economic - Economic policy can deliver equity, health, environment and economic outcomes
- The Victorian Government is using its purchasing power to drive social equity and sustainability outcomes through the Social Procurement Framework, which supports Victorian social enterprises and Aboriginal businesses
- The Good Food Policy commits Victorian Government departments to delivering health, social and environmental outcomes through food and drink purchasing
*current as of June 2025 -
Food system resilience is influenced by the policies and actions of a range of departments in local (municipal) government.
Food resilience planning can support local government policy objectives related to climate change and environment, community resilience, land use planning, resource recovery and public health. Identifying related objectives in local government policies can help to build the case for integrated action to plan resilient food systems.
Local government departments and food resilience planning
Local government department or unit Actions that influence food resilience planning Examples of local government policies Health and wellbeing Support and promote healthy eating Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan Develop and promote healthy food environments Ensure equitable access to healthy and culturally appropriate food Food safety programs and registration of food businesses Climate change and environment Biodiversity protection and enhancement Biodiversity Strategy Climate change adaptation and mitigation Climate Change and Adaptation Strategy Support landholders to implement regenerative agricultural practices on-farm Water - Water corporations provide water supply and delivery, drainage, storage and salinity mitigation services, partnering with local governments Municipal Integrated Water Management Plan Waste and recycling Organic waste prevention and recycling across residential, business and community settings Waste and Recycling or Circular Economy strategy Circular economy Parks and recreation Urban food production Urban Greening Strategy Community gardens Economic development Support and promote local food enterprises Economic Development Strategy Support and promote local food and beverage tourism Tourism Plan Community strengthening Healthy and dignified food access Community Food Access Policy Participatory process, active food citizens Community Engagement Strategy First Nations’ food initiatives Emergency food preparedness and response to disasters Municipal Emergency Management Plan Prevent and respond to homelessness in community Homelessness Plan Gender Equality Action Plan Planning Protection of food producing/agricultural land Municipal Planning Strategy and Scheme Preventing the development of unhealthy food outlets at incompatible locations Promoting the development of diverse food retail Activity Centres Strategy Governance Strategic planning Council Plan Tools and templates
- A template to map policies that are relevant to food system resilience
- Food system resilience and local government policy in Victoria diagram
Recommended external resources
A resource from VicHealth outlining the role of local government councillors in promoting public health and wellbeing
Victorian Department of Health resource for tackling climate change and its impacts on health through municipal public health and wellbeing planning
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Build a case for taking action to strengthen the resilience of food systems considering:
- The need to plan more resilient food systems in your community – how are shocks and stresses disrupting food systems in your community? Who is most affected and how?
- Your role in the context of your organisation - what are the core activities of your organisation and the potential levers to strengthen food system resilience?
- Your organisation’s objectives – how will food resilience planning support your organisation’s purpose and objectives?
- The policy context in local government – how will food resilience planning align with objectives in relevant local government policies?
- The policy and legislative context in Victorian Government – how will food resilience planning align with the objectives of relevant state government policies and legislation?
- Policy and funding opportunities – what are the new policy or funding opportunities that could support food resilience planning?
Recommended external resources
Guidance on determining entry points and securing political buy-in from the City Region Food System Toolkit of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
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[1] VAHI (2024) Victorian Population Health Survey 2022. Victorian Agency for Health Information. https://vahi.vic.gov.au/reports/population-health
[2] FAO (2021) The state of food and agriculture 2021. Making agrifood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
[3] IPCC (2022) Summary for Policymakers [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, M. Tignor, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem (eds.)]. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 3-33, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.001.
[4] Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (2025) Greenhouse gas emissions: Understanding Victoria’s contribution to climate change. https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/victorias-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-targets
[5] Hughes, N., Lu, M., Soh, W. and Lawson, K. (2020) Simulating the effects of climate change on the profitability of Australian farms. ABARES working paper, Canberra, Australia.
[6] Bushfire Recovery Victoria (2020) Eastern Victorian Fires 2019–20 State Recovery Plan. Melbourne, Australia.
[7] Deloitte Access Economics (2018) Megatrends and the Victorian Environment: A report for the Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability. November 2018. Melbourne: Deloitte Access Economics.
[8] FIAL (2021) The National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study – Final Report.
[9] Murphy, M., Carey, R. and Alexandra, L. (2022) The resilience of Melbourne’s food system to climate and pandemic shocks. University of Melbourne, Australia.
[10] Bishop, J., Bell, T., Huang, C. and Ward, M. (2021) Fire on The Farm. Assessing the impacts of the 2019-2020 bushfires on food and agriculture in Australia. Sydney, Australia.
[11] Reserve Bank of Australia (2021) Statement on Monetary Policy – May 2021. Box B: Supply Chains During the COVID-19 Pandemic. https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/smp/2021/may/box-b-supply-chains-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.html
[12] Quiggin, J. (2007) Drought, climate change and food prices in Australia. A report for the Australian Conservation Foundation. University of Queensland, Australia.
Key concepts
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