Melbourne's food future: planning a resilient city food bowl

Melbourne is surrounded by a highly productive foodbowl that  currently grows a wide variety of fresh foods, but it faces challenges:  Melbourne’s foodbowl grows 47% of the vegetables produced in  Victoria and has the capacity to meet around 41% of Melbourne’s total  food needs As Melbourne grows to a population of 7-8 million people by 2050, it  will need at least 60% more food If the city’s footprint continues to grow as it has in the past, the capacity  of Melbourne’s foodbowl to meet the city’s food needs could fall to  around 18% by 2050, due to population growth and urban sprawl Loss of production in the foodbowl is likely to contribute to  higher food  prices Melbourne’s foodbowl contributes  $2.45 billion per annum to  Melbourne’s regional economy and 21,000 full time equivalent jobs Melbourne’s food supply faces future challenges from the impacts of  climate change, including water scarcity and extreme weather events Other major Australian state capitals also have productive foodbowls  that contribute to fresh food supplies, but they are all  under similar  pressure from population growth and urban expansion. They are  unlikely to be able to meet future deficits in Melbourne’s food needs Melbourne’s foodbowl is an important building block in a resilient and  sustainable food future for the city: Ensuring a resilient food supply for Melbourne requires  a precautionary planning approach that retains – or strengthens – the capacity of the city’s foodbowl The loss of Melbourne’s foodbowl is not inevitable as the city  grows. If growth on the city fringe can be limited to existing growth  corridors and strong targets are set for urban infill and increased urban  density, the impact on the city’s foodbowl can be reduced Melbourne can plan for a resilient city foodbowl that provides healthy food for a growing population, promotes a vibrant regional food economy and acts as a buffer against future food system shocks Increased investment in delivery of recycled water from water treatment  plants could create  ‘drought-proof’ areas of food production A  ‘joined up’ policy framework is required to plan for a resilient city foodbowl. Policy is needed to protect farmland, increase water access,  reduce and reuse food waste, strengthen the regional food economy  and attract farmers to farm in the city’s foodbowl