Envisioning resilient food systems in South Australia

Key points

• Four local governments in South Australia have developed unique visions for a resilient food system
• The visioning process involved collaboration between stakeholders from government, community organisations and residents
• An Enabling Resilient Food Systems toolbox has been developed to support the development of community visions for resilient food systems and to build food systems literacy

In 2021, several local governments participated in the ‘Enabling resilient food systems in South Australia’ project, which aimed to build resilient food systems in the face of climate change. It was initiated by the South Australian Urban Food Systems Network and funded by the Local Government Association of South Australia. The project involved collaboration between local governments in South Australia and civil society stakeholders, including Green Adelaide, the Heart Foundation, Ethical Fields, Sustain: The Australian Food Network and Collaborative Futures [1].

Visioning with community

Community food system visions were developed in facilitated workshops across four councils. The workshops brought together more than 170 food system stakeholders across government, civil society and community organisations. Participants were asked to imagine what a healthier, more sustainable and resilient food system would look like in 2040, and to describe the key features of this future food system. Participants wrote their ideas on post it notes that were then clustered into themes.

Participants were asked to vote on elements of the vision they thought should be prioritised in a collaborative process, and the most important elements of the vision were ranked. A backcasting process was used to identify the steps and actions required to bring about this vision, connecting the present food system with the future resilient food system.

At one workshop, an artist created a live visual representation of the group’s vision. This was a powerful tool for fostering a sense of ownership of the vision with most participants agreeing that the resilient food system vision captured their aspirations [2].

Visions informing actions

The workshops highlighted the importance of engaging community members in visioning activities [2]. The resilient food system visions developed through these workshops are community-owned visions that can inform actions and priorities for local councils. Workshop findings informed the development of the Enabling Resilient Food Systems toolbox [3] and contributed to an evidence base that supports advocacy and investment in local food systems.