As Australia’s organic farming industry is rapidly growing, more Sydneysiders are choosing to eat organic.
New South Wales, with Sydney at the top, is the main market for the organic farming sector, which is expected to grow by 14.8 percent this year and another 13.4 percent annually over the next five years. This makes organic farming the second fastest growing industry in Australia, according to market research conducted by IBISWorld.
One of the key drivers behind the trend is the price competitiveness of organic products and a growing industry has a positive effect on prices, says organic supermarket owner Reese Yeo.
“Prices are coming down now as local farmers and local manufacturers are heading towards this segment and you’ll see more and more locally produced body and beauty organic products as well as food products.
“Over a period of time this segment is no longer niche and is self-sustainable so that products are affordable and organic will become mainstream,” he said.
Health concerns and an increased awareness of environmental sustainability are other drivers behind the growing demand for organic products, the research report found.
Growing vegetables is also becoming more popular among Sydneysiders. Secretary of the Glebe Community Gardens, Juan Carlo Tomas, said the waiting time for a plot at this site has more than doubled to nine months over the last year, and is even longer at other community gardens.
He also said community gardens can teach people more about their food and the benefits of growing organic.
“Gardens like this really ground people . . . You can get in touch again with your food and you can see how things grow. We can see everything from planting to harvesting being part of the same cycle, so if we introduce dangerous substances, at some point in this cycle you will end up eating them,” he said.
Carolin Wenzel, Communications Director for City Sydney farm, says growing your own vegetables also has a positive impact on the environment.
“The main benefit for the environment is that we reduce carbon emissions by reducing the distance our food travels from paddock to plate. Eating home grown tomatoes or carrots regularly can save kilograms of carbon from being burned in transport,” she says.
From October 2010, the Sydney City Farm could provide Sydneysiders with another opportunity to grow and eat local organic vegetables. The City of Sydney Council is currently undertaking a feasibility study and still has to announce its preferred site for the project.
At the moment, only 49% of the organic food consumed in New South Wales is locally grown, 38% comes from other Australian states and 13% is imported from overseas.
by Eva Schellenbeck
