Festival to serve food for thought

Thinking about your food and where it comes from can improve a region’s food production system so more people get access to better-quality produce.

That is the idea behind this month’s Food for Thought Festival in the Great Southern.

Over five days, the festival aims to get people motivated to seek local, in-season and sustainably grown food to benefit producers and consumers.

Events include the RegenWA field day for farmers in Jerramungup, a Fervor long-table dinner in Bremer Bay, and a slow food lunch and an “enterprise stacking” walking tour at Oranje Tractor Wines.

Murray Gomm, the owner of certified organic Oranje Tractor, said the business’ values aligned with the Food for Thought ethos.

“Slow food is eating food in season, grown locally and food grown in respect with the environment, and animals raised ethically,” Mr Gomm said.

“We are looking at the benefits to the growers, the consumers and the local economy if we rethink every mouthful of food.”

The walking tour will showcase Oranje Tractor’s retentive agricultural practices, including a concept called enterprise stacking.

“It is asking if there can be other agricultural practices that happen on our land that involve other people, which can be really good for the soil,” he said.

The Food for Thought Festival is run by Community Food Events in partnership with Sustain: The Australian Food Network.

It starts on March 19 with a food system innovation workshop at Centennial Stadium.

For a festival program, visit foodforthoughtfestival.com.