Out of the box Solutions: Community supporting agriculture – agriculture building community

Food box distribution has become increasingly popular since the COVID outbreak. But how do farmer groups get one off the ground? And which model is right for you, collaborative partners, and your community?

Hear from two community-minded women who helped create different food box solutions that support local small-scale producers and gives their community greater access to clean fair food.

Deb Bogenhuber runs Out of the Box, a Mildura-based food project which grows small-scale regenerative growers and connects them with local buyers.

Clarence Valley Food Chairperson Deb Novak acted fast during the Covid crisis to establish a delivery service for Yamba Farmer and Producers Market stallholders, which is maintaining sales post-pandemic.

Speaker stories are followed by a Live Interactive Q&A

SPEAKERS

DEBORAH BOGENHUBER

Deborah is an ecologist and researcher of local food systems. She is deeply involved and active in community development and transformational change, and has over ten years’ experience in community facilitation and activating volunteer organisations.

Deborah co-founded and is Executive Officer of Food Next Door, a not-for-profit co-operative based in Mildura working to connect landless farmers from migrant and refugee backgrounds with under-utilised land to grow diverse crops, and steers day-to-day operations as well as strategic aspects of their growth.

Food Next Door also runs Out of the Box, a local food project working to grow our small-scale regenerative growers, and to connect local small-scale producers and local buyers, who want access to good, clean, fair food.

DEBRAH NOVAK

Debrah is Chairperson of Clarence Valley Food Inc and has lived in the Clarence Valley for over 35 years. Debrah has 25 years in rural regional media as a professional digital content creator and trainer. Debrah has a background in growing organic herbs but now does her share of farm-sitting and has managed to learn how to saddle and ride horses and chase cows. Agri-tourism is one of her passions and she uses the weekly Yamba Farmers and Producers Market and the new Grafton Twilight Farmers Market to amplify the agri-food message.

ABOUT THE WEBINAR SERIES

Learning Together

Collaborative Business Solutions for Farmers

A new webinar series for farmers

Farming Together is excited to offer you the opportunity to learn more about Collaborative Business Solutions in Farming, Fishing and Forestry via its new webinar series.

Find out how collaborative business solutions can help address some of today’s biggest challenges. Working collaboratively, farmers can experience greater control of the supply chain, create economies of scale, build resilience to climate impacts, and access new markets.

Drawing from a wealth of experiences from farmers, fishers and foresters across the country, Farming Together invites you to find out how collaboration has turned challenges into opportunities. Topics include Data Sharing, Neighbour Farming, and Succession Planning.

Listen, interact and have your questions answered by our guest speakers and expert panel each week. Our series of webinars will look at the variety of different collaborative business solutions, the various forms and structures they can take, provide tips for success when starting or growing a collaborative business, and the pitfalls to avoid.

Who is this webinar series for: Anyone interested in starting or growing a collaborative business.