Urban solutions to drought-induced food price increase

Water and energy efficient

To a water-stressed country now faced with the prospect of substantial price rises for fruit and vegetables, home and community food gardening offers benefit in terms of water and energy conservation and nutrition.

Agriculture in Australia accounts for up to 70 per cent of national water consumption. In contrast - due to water conservation and horticultural practices - area for area, home and community food production has a much lower embodied water and energy content than commercial farming.

It is because of this that landuse designer, educator and author, David Holmgren told a recent food security conference in Melbourne, that “the conclusion is that we should use water at home to produce food. Don’t let anyone, including the authorities, tell you that [it] is environmentally irresponsible.”

He argues that state governments should provide urban garden agriculturists a larger water allocation than that given to growers of ornamental and native landscapes.

Perhaps, in view of the impending drought-induced decline in farm productivity and food price rises, it is time to take a serious look at these unorthodox ideas to make out cities and towns more food secure.