Building Australia'sIndigenous food future.
A national Indigenous food resilience initiative designed to strengthen local food production, improve community resilience and support climate-adapted growing systems across remote Australia.
A national, Indigenous-ledfood future.
Growing Country is a national Indigenous food resilience initiative designed to strengthen local food production, improve community resilience and support climate-adapted growing systems across remote Australia.
The initiative responds to increasing concern surrounding remote food insecurity, fragile supply chains, rising freight costs and climate-related disruption affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Growing Country proposes a practical and scalable national pilot program focused on rebuilding local food capability through community-led growing systems, mobile horticultural support and long-term skills development.
Sitting at the most exposed end ofAustralia's food system.
Australia is one of the world's largest food-producing nations, yet many remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities remain highly vulnerable to food insecurity.
Remote communities sit at the most exposed end of Australia's food system, where supply chain disruption, fuel volatility, freight costs and climate impacts are experienced first and hardest.
Growing Country has been developed to strengthen local resilience within this increasingly fragile environment.
Australia's food system has been optimised for efficiency, not resilience.
Three connected components,one resilient national system.
Community Garden Networks
Climate-adapted food production systems supporting local access to fresh produce.
Mobile Growing Systems
Mobile horticultural support vehicles delivering training, infrastructure assistance and technical support across participating communities.
Training and Skills Development
Practical pathways supporting community horticulture, ranger programs, youth engagement and local food capability.
What the initiativedelivers.
Eight measurable outcomes across food security, health, economic participation, climate resilience and community-led development.
- Improved remote food security
- Reduced reliance on fragile supply chains
- Better nutrition and health outcomes
- Indigenous economic participation
- Climate adaptation and resilience
- Community-led development
- Strengthened local capability
- Cultural knowledge transfer
Aligned with nationalstrategy and priorities.
The initiative also supports broader national priorities across health, agriculture and regional development by strengthening local food production, improving nutrition outcomes and supporting sustainable economic activity in remote regions.
- 01National Strategy for Food Security in Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
- 02Closing the Gap priorities
- 03Climate resilience and adaptation strategies
- 04Regional development frameworks
- 05Indigenous economic participation priorities
- 06National food security discussions
A four-year nationalpilot program.
Growing Country proposes an initial four-year pilot program across approximately twelve remote communities.
The pilot is designed as a practical and scalable model that allows government and partners to test long-term approaches to Indigenous-led food resilience and local production systems.
Food security is not simply asupply chain issue.
It is an issue of access, resilience and community capability.
When communities regain the capacity to grow food locally, the impacts extend far beyond nutrition. Schools become involved, Elders receive highly nutritious produce, practical skills are strengthened and communities rebuild confidence in local food systems.
Growing Country is not simply about growing food.It is about rebuilding local capability, strengthening community resilience and restoring relationships between people, food and Country.
Years of workon Country.
William Martin has spent many years living and working alongside remote Aboriginal communities across Australia. His work has included community agriculture, native seed systems, ecological restoration, seed saving and remote food production initiatives.
With support from the National Indigenous Australians Agency and the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, William helped establish greenhouses, seed banks and community garden initiatives across remote communities in the Northern Territory.
Growing Country welcomesconversations across sectors.
Start theconversation.
Growing Country — Building Australia's Indigenous Food Future. For partnership discussions, briefings or community conversations, please get in touch directly.