Foodprint Melbourne
Planning a resilient city food system
Foodprint Melbourne is a research project that investigates ways of strengthening the resilience of Melbourne’s food system to increase equitable access to fresh, healthy foods and promote sustainable production and consumption for current and future generations.
The current phase of the project is assessing the resilience of Melbourne’s food system to the impacts of shocks and stresses, such as fire, drought and flood.
The Foodprint Melbourne research team is based in the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Melbourne. The project is funded by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.
Project partners include the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, the City of Melbourne, Resilient Melbourne, the Melbourne Food Alliance, Open Food Network, Mornington Peninsula Shire, Wyndham City, Cardinia Shire Council, City of Whittlesea, Moreland City Council, Food Bank, the Victorian Council of Social Services, the Interface Councils, the Peri-Urban Group of Rural Councils, and Port Phillip and Westernport CMA.
Project Funder
Our Partners
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Report: Roadmap for a resilient and sustainable Melbourne foodbowl
This report outlines a vision and roadmap for preserving Melbourne’s foodbowl for current and future generations as a fundamental building block in a healthy, resilient, sustainable and fair food system.
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Report: Food for thought
This report identifies the policy challenges that need to be addressed and the opportunities that could be leveraged to strengthen Melbourne’s foodbowl. Report
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Report: Melbourne's Food Future
The findings of the Foodprint Melbourne project have highlighted that Melbourne’s foodbowl is an important building block in a resilient and sustainable food future for the city. Report
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Report: Melbourne's Foodbowl
Melbourne’s Foodbowl can currently provide enough food to meet 41% of the city’s food needs, but urban sprawl is putting this city-fringe farmland at risk. Report
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Report: Melbourne's Foodprint
This major report summarises research findings about what it takes to feed Melbourne - how much land, water, and energy and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and food waste generated. Report
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Infographic: A thriving Melbourne foodbowl
This infographic showcases the mutually beneficial relationships that can be developed between cities and the farmers on their fringes.
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Infographic: Circular food systems for a resilient Melbourne foodbowl
This infographic shows how recycling water and nutrients on city fringe farms can strengthen Melbourne's food system.
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Infographic: Roadmap for a resilient and sustainable Melbourne foodbowl
This Foodprint Melbourne infographic shows the key elements needed to achieve a resilient and sustainable Melbourne foodbowl.
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Infographic: How much water is needed to grow Melbourne’s food?
New research from the Foodprint Melbourne project has found that it takes over 475 litres of water per person per day to grow our food. Infographic
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Infographic: A vision for a resilient city foodbowl for Melbourne
The findings of the Foodprint Melbourne project have highlighted that Melbourne’s foodbowl is an important building block in a resilient and sustainable food future for the city. Infographic
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Infographic: Melbourne at 7 million: losing farmland due to urban sprawl
Melbourne’s Foodbowl can currently provide enough food to meet 41% of the city’s food needs, but urban sprawl is putting this city-fringe farmland at risk. Infographic
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Policy briefing: Cities and climate change resilient food systems
Food systems face increasing pressures due to the impacts of climate change, but cities have a role in creating climate resilient food systems. Briefing paper
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Report: An economic analysis of Melbourne's foodbowl
Deloitte Access Economics undertook an economic analysis of Melbourne’s foodbowl for the Foodprint Melbourne project. The final Foodprint Melbourne report draws on the findings of this economic analysis. Report
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Summary Briefing: Melbourne's Food Future
The findings of the Foodprint Melbourne project have highlighted that Melbourne’s foodbowl is an important building block in a resilient and sustainable food future for the city. Report
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Summary briefing: Roadmap for a resilient and sustainable Melbourne foodbowl
This summary briefing provides an overview of key findings from the report: Roadmap for a resilient and sustainable Melbourne foodbowl.
Past Work
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A Resilient Fruit and Vegetable Supply
This Food Alliance/VicHealth report describes the challenges currently facing Victoria’s fruit and vegetable farmers, which have the potential to undermine the long-term security of Victoria’s fruit and vegetable supply. Report
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Know Your Foodbowl
The Food Alliance Know Your Foodbowl project investigated what grows on Melbourne's city fringe farmland. Infographic
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Planning for Food
Towards a prosperous, resilient and healthy food system through Victoria’s Metropolitan Planning Strategy - a report from the Food Alliance/Heart Foundation. Report
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Food Alliance Fruit and Vegetable Roundtable Summary
This Food Alliance/VicHealth report summarises the outcomes of a Fruit and Vegetable Roundtable hosted by the Food Alliance in October 2011 on ‘Addressing the barriers to a viable Victorian fruit and vegetable industry’. Report
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Local and Creative Food Economies
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Food Sensitive Planning and Urban Design
Linking different areas relevant to food security and sustainability to facilitate urban life.
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Food Freight
The pressures of rising energy costs, potential carbon prices and increasing vulnerability in food supply chains are challenging to food producers and businesses, and they have important implications for food availability, access and utilisation – and hence food security.
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Mapping Melbourne's Peri-urban Agricultural Land
Since at least the 1940’s, concerns have been raised repeatedly about the loss of some of Victoria’s most productive land due to Melbourne’s urban expansion. The loss of high productive areas suitable for horticulture (fruit and vegetable growing) has been of particular concern.
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Food Hubs
Food Hubs make it easier to buy and sell local food
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Sustainable and Secure Food Systems for Victoria
In April 2008 VEIL released our first policy challenges report – Sustainable and Secure Food Systems for Victoria: What do we know? What do we need to know?
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Australian Food Supply Scenarios
An extension of a VEIL research scoping project completed in early 2011 (funded from a VicHealth Discovery Grant). This new two-year research project is ARC funded, with Deakin University (lead) VEIL, CSIRO and ANU.
The Foodprint Melbourne project has received significant media coverage and a selection of recent media is available here.
For all media enquiries about the Foodprint Melbourne project contact:
Dr Rachel Carey
Research Fellow, School of Agriculture and Food
- Email:
- rachel.carey@unimelb.edu.au
- phone:
- 8344 1567
- mobile:
- 0425 739 529
The Foodprint Melbourne project has developed an online GIS map that draws together data to help stakeholders understand what grows where in Melbourne's foodbowl and its distinctive characteristics.
The GIS map shows the quantities and percentage of the states’ crops that grow in Melbourne's foodbowl and elsewhere in Victoria, using Local Government Area (LGA) and Catchment Management Authority (CMA) boundaries. It also provides information about the relative availability of recycled water.
The resource has been designed to help stakeholders make strategic planning and policy decisions. There is also a simplified version of this GIS map designed as a teaching resource.
A range of award winning resources have been developed for use in secondary schools based on the findings of the Foodprint Melbourne research project.
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Biomes and food security
Foodprint Melbourne teaching resources and lesson plans to support delivery of the Year 9 geography unit 'Biomes and food security'.
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General Resources
The Foodprint Melbourne project team has collated a range of external resources for teacher use across a variety of food systems subjects.
For all project inquiries, please contact:
For all media enquiries about the Foodprint Melbourne project contact:
Dr Rachel Carey
Research Fellow, School of Agriculture and Food
- Email:
- rachel.carey@unimelb.edu.au
- phone:
- 8344 1567
- mobile:
- 0425 739 529
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