When we think of food security and climate change we tend to think of people in third world countries experiencing food shortages during droughts rather than countries like Australia. But it is actually more complex than that. Food security refers to the availability of sufficient affordable nutritious food. I think you could actually make the point that right now many Australians lack this.
The Climate Council report Feeding a Hungry Nation: Climate Change, Food and Farming says that Australia despite being a net food exporter is highly susceptible to food insecurity due to climate change. This is not just due to farmers struggling with increasing droughts and extreme weather events. Our supply chain (the way we get food from the farmer to the tables) is highly vulnerable. This paragraph sums it up for me.
So imagine getting cut off from food supplies for several weeks by flooding. Do you have enough food in your house to last several weeks? Having lived for 15 years in the Macleay valley with its frequent floods I try to always have 2 weeks supply of food in the house but someone holding only 3-5 days is going to get into trouble fast.
So what do I think the ordinary Australian household needs to do
1) increase your supply of non-perishables like rice, lentils, beans, grains, flour
2) Grow some of your own food, even if it is just herbs. Having done the Ration Challenge this year where you live for a week on the food that Syrian refugees in refugee camps eat, I can tell you from experience that if you only have rice to eat then a little bit of added herbs makes all the difference to a meal. Better still would be to grow a variety of vegetables and fruit trees.
3) Buy your vegetables from the local farmers market. not only does this decrease your food miles and plastic but it encourages local farmers and garden enthusiasts to grow more than they need in order to sell. We want to expand and encourage people to grow local food that doesn't need to be trucked in.
4) Practise cooking with basic ingredients such as rice, lentils and beans so you know what to do to create tasty meals.
5) Check out the fruit trees growing on public lands and in peoples backyards. Learn to recognise them and know how to cook and eat the fruit and nuts. I have gone as far as to map the fruit and food trees in my town.
The Climate Council report Feeding a Hungry Nation: Climate Change, Food and Farming says that Australia despite being a net food exporter is highly susceptible to food insecurity due to climate change. This is not just due to farmers struggling with increasing droughts and extreme weather events. Our supply chain (the way we get food from the farmer to the tables) is highly vulnerable. This paragraph sums it up for me.
So imagine getting cut off from food supplies for several weeks by flooding. Do you have enough food in your house to last several weeks? Having lived for 15 years in the Macleay valley with its frequent floods I try to always have 2 weeks supply of food in the house but someone holding only 3-5 days is going to get into trouble fast.
So what do I think the ordinary Australian household needs to do
1) increase your supply of non-perishables like rice, lentils, beans, grains, flour
2) Grow some of your own food, even if it is just herbs. Having done the Ration Challenge this year where you live for a week on the food that Syrian refugees in refugee camps eat, I can tell you from experience that if you only have rice to eat then a little bit of added herbs makes all the difference to a meal. Better still would be to grow a variety of vegetables and fruit trees.
3) Buy your vegetables from the local farmers market. not only does this decrease your food miles and plastic but it encourages local farmers and garden enthusiasts to grow more than they need in order to sell. We want to expand and encourage people to grow local food that doesn't need to be trucked in.
4) Practise cooking with basic ingredients such as rice, lentils and beans so you know what to do to create tasty meals.
5) Check out the fruit trees growing on public lands and in peoples backyards. Learn to recognise them and know how to cook and eat the fruit and nuts. I have gone as far as to map the fruit and food trees in my town.
6) Practise eating different foods. I look at the restricted processed diets of some people and despair of how they would cope with food insecurity where you need to eat whatever is available.
7) Read some of the books/internet articles available on edible weeds and practise identifying them. you will be amazed how many you can find in your garden or on unmowed public land.
Practising these skills now will prepare you for not just surviving in a natural disaster but thriving. Make it fun and treat it as a challenge. How long can you go without shopping?
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