:food/agriculture/chemicals

sydney’s fresh produce is supplied by market gardens in the sydney basin90%15% agricultural produce

20% vegetables

48% poultry

100% mushrooms

100% leafy greens (and asian vegetables)

(using only 2.5% of NSW’s land)

(Cohen 2007)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/84265607@N00/564776823/ accessed 12/07/2007

/hectare return – sydney market gardens$543

/hectare return – NSW$136

(Cohen 2007)

$1bil /year direct contribution to NSW

$4 bil /year indirect contribution to NSW

• sydney

sydney has a mild climate, fertile soil and reliable water to grow food year round -

west of the mountains are less reliable water sources and more extreme climates -

and more cost and energy use associated with food transportation and refrigeration -

and a decline in freshness and quality due to increased traveling time -

leading to more expensive, less environmentally sustainable food sources for sydney.

http://www.imagery.maps.nsw.gov.au/ accessed 12/07/2007

why are they so important to protect

?

In 2004 australia threw away

$5.3 billion of food

(Australian Conservation Foundation 2007)

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/get-on/downloads2004/Wheelie%20bin%20Portrait.jpg accessed 12/07/2007

food miles - a measure of how far food travels from paddock to plate

average american meal has traveled between 2,500km-4,000km (Halweil 2002)

produce bought out of season travels even further

the further food travels, the larger the carbon footprint.

167.3 million tonnes of food is transported around australia a year -

2.5 billion kilometres of travel -85 per cent of food distributed by road -accounting for 13% of australia's greenhouse gas emissions. (Weekes 2006)

problems with food and export

demand greater than supply

where is all the good stuff?

50,000 industrial, agricultural and veterinary chemicals used in australia

99% introduced prior to commencement of testing in 1990

(National Chemicals Taskforce 2002)

insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, repellants and baits

since so many of these chemicals have not been tested,

how could we possibly imagine what environmental and health consequences they hold?

2005 High levels of dioxins were found in samples of prawn and fish from

Sydney Harbour. This was due to the industrial history of the area.

As a result the NSW State Government banned all commercial fishing in Sydney Harbour until at least 2011.

Accessed on12July2007 http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=268888612&size=o

what is organic farming?

“It is prohibited under international organic standards to use food irradiation or genetic engineering in the production of organic/bio-dynamic food and fibre. Organic /biodynamic produce is therefore free of these processes. Certified Organic/ Biodynamic products are created through land management practices that do not use artificial fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, growth regulators, antibiotics, hormone stimulants or intensive livestock systems. These practices must have been in place for at least three years.”(Accessed12July2007, http://www.organicsaustraliaonline.com.au/webcontent8.htm)

“Organic farming increases biodiversity at every level of the food chain – all the way from bacteria to mammals”

According to a study reported in 2004 by New Scientist:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/Images/marble_2002_australia_2048.jpg accessed 12/07/2007