Advocacy

Your VFMA's met recently with Victorian Farmers' Federation president Emma Germano and Victorian meat regulator Primesafe. We talked about doing more together to help small producers.

This week Farmers' Markets New Zealand president Jono Walker called and Farmers Markets Nova Scotia chief executive Justin Cantafio zoomed about the challenges their farmers' markets are facing. Collaboration is very welcome, and a way our organisations can keep ahead.

Escalating costs, energy unpredictability and climate change shocks are all too real for everyone producing food. The World Economic Forum says that the way food systems are managed "has the power to make or break the fight against climate change".

Farmers' markets and short supply chains are fundamental. Our markets are serious, competitive alternatives to supermarkets that have become gargantuan, globalised and disconnected from small farmer-suppliers. We need small producers and direct farmers' market sales channels now more than ever.

How can we all support farmers' markets to operate more confidently and, in turn, create more opportunities for Victoria's small producers to expand and increase in number? What is best farmers' market practice and how do we get there? How do we ensure authenticity in a way that's fair, responsible, cost-effective and manageable?

The VFMA strives to be nimble! Sharing what we know and our experience with each other is the best way of adapting to our constantly evolving community and food system environment. It's important we work and walk together.

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