Getting started in agriculture has always been a challenge for the next generation of farmers.
Today the value and availability of land, and the scale of investment required for most conventional agricultural and horticultural production systems, makes it very difficult for those with limited capital to establish a business.
The emerging generation of farmers are finding new and innovative ways to meet these challenges.
The current production, processing and distribution systems for most food products are based on large scale production of commodities.
Farmers supply the industrialised and centralised processing, distribution, and marketing system where most of the value and the price paid by the consumer is added once the produce leaves the farm.
Most of the money is made outside the farm gate.
One solution to this challenge for the emerging generation of farmers is developing ways to value-add farm produce and develop a closer relationship with their customers.
This approach is well suited to farmers located close to population centres and where they are able to capitalise on the worldwide trend to consumers seeking some relationship with the people producing their food and making a commitment to partner with them.
This emerging trend could lead to a 'renaissance' of agricultural production on the urban fringes of our larger population centres which are mainly located in the coastal, higher rainfall areas of Australia.
These peri-urban areas often have high quality soils and good water resources but are ill suited to the large-scale production of commodities.
Small scale also means that there is much lower capital investment in machinery and equipment essential for larger scale production.
This emerging group of young and enthusiastic growers may be able bring back into production much of this land, which was highly productive in pervious eras, and create lots of local employment with new and rewarding careers.
Another advantage of this trend is that local, smaller scale production can be more energy efficient and less resource intensive resulting in a lot less 'food kilometres'.
It also becomes viable to recycle some organic waste through composting and mulching, which in turn can help local producers reduce inputs of artificial fertilisers and minimise the use of herbicides for weed control.
Small scale also means that there is much lower capital investment in machinery and equipment essential for larger scale production.
An example is Good Growers, an innovative business producing vegetables established at Lorn, near Maitland, in the Hunter Valley.
This small production unit was established in conjunction with a well-established rose enterprise on the fertile alluvial soil adjacent to the Hunter River.
Owners of Good Growers, Harriet Bell and Jo Lynch, started the business in 2020 with the support of the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) for the first year.
While Jo is from a beef farming background, neither had any experience with vegetable production and had the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills.
Good Growers utilise currently less than half a hectare of land and, while not certified organic, are producing 'chemical free', not using any artificial pesticides or synthetic fertilisers.
Their production system relies on having a wide diversity of crops and healthy plants by paying close attention to plant nutrition and use of mulch and compost for weed control along with green manure crops and the use of 'tarping' - covering vacant beds and smothering weeds between crops.
They have also installed a plastic tunnel house in order to manage fruit fly in susceptible crops such as tomatoes.
The key to generating a viable income from such a small operation is to carefully control costs and for all sales to be to retail customers.
Cost control is assisted by their chemical free strategies to manage weeds, pests and diseases and avoiding the cost of artificial fertilisers.
Good Growers sell all of their produce at retail price direct to customers using a subscription system.
Customers purchase weekly boxes in advance.
Boxes are either collected directly from the farm or delivered to customers in Newcastle.
Good Growers are an example of the opportunities available to energetic and innovative growers to develop a farming business with minimal capital outlay and take advantage of the underutilised resources of peri-urban land.
They represent a model for the future of ethical and sustainable food production.
