Embracing Native & Indigenous Foods
Indigenous Australians are the world’s first agriculturalists – sustainably managing land and producing food in this country for thousands of years. It has only been recently however, that modern Australian culture has begun to understand and embrace native foods as a sustainable, healthy and delicious alternative to imported varieties. Native plants have adapted to the Australian environment and require no excess water, fertiliser or pesticides like their imported counterparts.
The thousands of varieties of native plants that can be part of a healthy and sustainable diet include seeds like bunya, fruits like lilly pilly, grains like kangaroo grass and tubers like murnong yam daisy. Embracing native foods also helps non-indigenous Australians better understand and connect with Indigenous culture. There are numerous suppliers of native foods around Australia – when purchasing, ensure the company you buy from is either Indigenous owned, or provides employment in Indigenous communities.
IN THE ILLAWARRA
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Black Duck Foods - An Indigenous Food Story That Connects Us All
Black Duck Foods is an Indigenous social enterprise committed to traditional food growing processes that care for Country and return economic benefits directly to Indigenous people. Their stories come from a time when story began and now we are transforming these stories into new opportunities for Indigenous peoples as part of a journey towards Food Sovereignty.
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Native Food & Ethical Supply Chains w/ Christian Hampson – Yerrabingin
Stef and Simon sit down with Christian Hampson from Yerrabingin for a discussion about native foods and the issues and opportunities in the industry. We discuss the problem of Indigenous exclusion in the industry and potential pathways towards an ethical supply chain. Christian also tells us about the goals and progression of Yerrabingin as a business and some of his plans for the future.
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