This article is a summary of the podcast conversation “24. Connecting Community Through Good, Clean & Fair Food”. Listen to the full episode on Spotify podcasts or Apple podcasts, and go here for the relevant links mentioned in the podcast. Read on for the summarised topics from the episode.

Connecting Community Through Good, Clean & Fair Food

Have you heard about the Slow Food Movement? It’s a global movement that believes everyone has the right to good, clean and fair food.

Helping us understand the movement from a localised perspective, I’d like to introduce you to Amorelle Dempster from Slow Food Hunter Valley. The volunteer-led grassroots organisation helps connect their community with the local farming community, plus make available just simple local and delicious food.

Overview of the Conversation

Why Slow Food Hunter Valley is Important to the Region

“to be able to teach people how to grow food again, to learn from the experts, to bring people together...as a way of getting to know the farming community”

Perceived assumption that by moving to the country, local food production is abundant

“I thought everyone who lived in the country would have a little patch and they’ll be growing their own food. ..people in the country still buy their food from the supermarket because the farms disappeared in the country.”

It’s all about sort of what we can bring to this incredible area in terms of enriching not just the lives of the farmers, but enriching the life of the people as well.

Giving community access to the good, clean and fair food that was being produced here

“The [Slow Food] philosophy enabled us to really connect the dots and to bring together food for the local community [as part of the Maitland Earth Markets]...where the Earth market reflects food that is just grown locally”

Bringing the value of farmer and community connection through a local earth food Market

“The earth market has enabled us to bring those farmers…small scale artisans, producers, et cetera, to a central location, which we do twice a month, and to help them as a way of sort of incubating and developing the food system here in the Hunter Valley”

Connecting the Farmers with the Local Community

“There’s a lot of story telling in everything that is at the earth market”.

Slow Food Hunter Valley helps to connect the dots in many easy ways

Through education, the Earth Markets, food waste collection, making meals from food waste and a local seed library for encouraging people to grow their own food with provenance, taste and a story to tell.

This episode of The ReNewy Living Podcast was recorded on Awabakal country. I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and waters in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales.

I hope you’re feeling more confident about doing better for our people and planet by taking a start where you live approach to living sustainably. If this episode has spurred you into action, please feel free to share the episode with your friends. It would mean the world to me!

Listen into the stories and voices of this story here at Spotify podcasts and here at Apple Podcasts… And you can also sign up to my regular emails here… I look forward to sharing more stories with you next time.

Apple Podcasts ↓

Spotify Podcasts ↓

Connecting Community Through Good, Clean & Fair Food (S3 Ep24)

Links from the Podcast Episode (S3 Ep24)

Slow Food Hunter Valley – promotes the ethos of “good, clean and fair food for all” through advocacy, education and the promotion of biodiversity.
Slow Food – the global movement website
What was the Green Revolution?
Hunter Organic Growers Society – for all who garden, farm or want to learn how to grow healthy and sustainable food (Hunter Region)
Biodynamic Farming Group (Hunter Valley) via Purple Pear Farm
Nebo Farm: Family-run farm located in East Maitland NSW
Slow Foods (Singleton NSW): a community group in the mid-Hunter promoting the importance of growing & sharing local food
Maitland Rotary Sunrise