Southern NSW Harvest Co-operative is a farmer led non-distributing co-operative working to foster the sustainable growth and availability of local produce in ACT and SE NSW region.
Southern Harvest’s activities include:
- Bungendore Harvest Festival held in April each year. After the highly successful first event in 2017, which attracted between 3000-8000 visitors, this festival showcasing the region’s food, wine, fibre and farming enterprises, has continued to have a positive impact on stallholders and the local business community each year since.
- Bungendore Farmers Market is a truly authentic regional farmers’ market, with all market produce sold being grown or made by the stallholders.
- Multi-Farm Produce Box Scheme which follows the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, and aims to, as directly as possible, connect local Farmers with local Eaters.
- Capital Region Winter Festival explores the best of cold climate produce. Fine food and drinks such as truffles, wine, garlic, olives and much more.
- Southern NSW Harvest Education aims to facilitate access to education that supports the sustainable growth of local food and agricultural systems.
The Southern Harvest region is a vibrant bio-region supplying everything you need to enjoy a rich diversity of seasonal produce. It incorporates the following local government areas (listed from North to South):
Temora, Upper Lachlan, Boorowa, Young, Wingecarribee, Cootamundra, Harden, Junee, Yass Valley, Goulburn Mulwarree, Gundagai, Palerang, Tumut, Australian Capital Territory, Queanbeyan, Eurobodalla, Tumbarumba, Cooma Monaro, Snowy River, Bega Valley, Bombala, Bega Valley.
The Southern NSW Harvest Association continues to grow and adapt to the demands of supporting our local food industry. We cannot do this without the support of our region’s food producers, suppliers and, of course, consumers. Southern Harvest invites you to JOIN SOUTHERN NSW HARVEST to help grow our local food community.
The Australian Capital Region Food Hub story – Our History
The Australian Capital Region Food Hub events were borne out of research findings from the Local Food Initiative project.
The Local Food Initiative project aims to identify barriers to local food production and consumption in order to develop practical solutions for producers, retailers and consumers. Research is ongoing. Please help by completing a brief survey on our home page.
The results overwhelmingly identified that producers want to sell locally and consumers want to purchase locally produced food; however there are severe failings within the supply chain. Distributors (retailers, restaurants, etc) said they don’t know where to find local food and commented on inconsistent supply. Consumers didn’t know where to purchase local food, liked to purchase “out of season” and found local food too expensive. Detailed results can be found in Food Hub #1 and Food Hub #2 Presentation Slides.
The Australian Capital Region Food Hub event #1 occurred in June 2014. Its purpose was to gain an indication of support for setting up an Australian Capital Region Food Hub, establish a network of like-minded people, and raise awareness of the Local Food Initiative surveys. Refer to Food Hub #1 Session Notes and Post Event Feedback from attendees. The outcomes of Food Hub #1 were a desire for:
- Easy access to information about producers and suppliers
- Improved communication network
- A common brand for the region
- A focus on tourism opportunities
- Business development programs for start-ups and current businesses
The Australian Capital Region Food Hub event #2 was held in October 2014 to report back to interested parties on progress and further investigate forward progress. Key insights from this event included:
- The immediate need for a regional brand
- The establishment of a truly regional farmers market that did not accept re-sellers or food from outside the region.
At this meeting a decision was made via group consensus that Southern NSW Harvest would become the regional food brand for the Australian Capital Region (ACR) and assume responsibility for progressing the Australian Capital Region Food Hubs for the following reasons:
- Southern Harvest Association was an existing self-sufficient regional food association that encompassed most of the region and agreed to change its boundaries to incorporate the whole ACR.
- Southern Harvest had existing infrastructure that was a public resource for ACR regional food, including a website, regional food directory and map, food event calendar and monthly regional food newsletter.
- Southern Harvest had member support and resources to establish farmers market that only sold regionally produced food, directly from those who made it.
Refer to Food Hub #2 Presentation Slides and Session Notes for more detailed information.
Since the Food Hub events, Southern Harvest has progressed awareness for regional food via the following actions:
- The Southern Harvest Farmers Market in Bungendore commenced fortnightly markets in January 2015, and in July 2016 became a permanent weekly market. The market only accepts stallholders who produce food within the Southern Harvest region, and no re-sellers are permitted. This market will be used as a model to establish other markets across our region.
- In 2015, to raise public awareness for regional fair food, Southern Harvest co-hosted the premier of Fair Food: The Documentary in Canberra, Bungendore and Braidwood and organised a panel discussion to follow which included prominent local farmers, food activists and a chef.
- The Southern Harvest Association Committee is now completely industry and community lead. Concerns were raised via Food Hub events that the committee did not have adequate business and community involvement, so this was addressed.
- Southern Harvest prepared a submission for the ACT Conservation Council’s ACT Region People’s Food Plan Working Paper.  Southern Harvest highlighted the need for the whole ACR to be included, the need for more abattoirs, better retail opportunities for our local food producers, and support for the promotion of a regional food brand.
- This year Southern Harvest merged with Permaculture eXchange to create Southern Harvest Education, which will continue to provide permaculture and backyard self-sufficiency courses to meet consumer demand. This broadens Southern Harvest’s brand awareness and membership base.
- Penny Kothe of Caroola Farm hosted the Fair Food Producers Gathering to raise funds for Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance Legal Defence Fund and identify issues and infrastructure pressure points that are limiting the production of Fair Food in our region.  The main issue was abattoirs, although a number of other issues were raised including zoning regulations, ‘intensive’ agriculture, transport and access to markets.
- In 2016, Southern Harvest combined with other like-minded organisations to bring Polyfaces to Canberra as part of a public awareness campaign for Fair Food.  The ACT Conservation Council released the ACT Region People’s Food Plan Working Paper Number One, and Tammi Jonas, President of Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, launched their Legal Defence Fund, a crowdfunding campaign set up to help small scale farmers fight unfair and inconsistent regulations that have had detrimental effects on their businesses.
- Southern Harvest developed this new website in response to industry and consumer demand for information about regional food. The website incorporates an event calendar and local food directory.  This was an important element of discussions at Food Hub events.
- Southern Harvest recognises the need for like-minded groups to work together to improve our local and regional food communities.  We have formalised partnership agreements with Slow Food Canberra, Canberra City Farm, Urban Agriculture Australia, Canberra Organic Growers Society, SCPA-South Coast Producers, The Food Co-op Shop and SAGE Farmers Market to help promote regional food via cross promotion of events and working together on projects where possible.
- Southern Harvest continues to publish monthly regional food newsletters for members and free subscribers.
The Southern Harvest Association continues to grow and adapt to the demands of supporting our local food industry. We cannot do this without the support of our region’s food producers, suppliers and, of course, consumers. Southern Harvest invites you to JOIN SOUTHERN HARVEST to help grow our local food industry.
Regional Mapping
The Australian Capital Region Food Hub has developed a series of maps that will be useful to various stakeholders in our region:
General Information Maps
Australian Capital Region Food Hub Boundary
Australian Capital Region Local Food Markets
Australian Capital Region Market Estimate
Food Production Maps
Australian Capital Region Abattoirs
Australian Capital Region Dairy
Australian Capital Region Eggs
Australian Capital Region Fruit and Vegetables
Australian Capital Region Meat
Australian Capital Region Other Producers
Climate Maps
Australian Capital Region Rainfall
Australian Capital Region Food Hub Partners
Committee and Other Volunteers
VICE PRESIDENT & FARMER
 
Matt Smith
*Full bio coming soon*
Matt is one half of Pialligo Harvest, specialising in chillies and growing veg in Canberra.
COMMITTE MEMBER & FARMER
Geoff Foster
Geoff Foster, with his wife Colleen, trading as Jerrabatt Gully Organics, has been supplying fresh produce to customers in the Canberra-Bungendore region since 1995. Located at Bywong, their property is devoted to intensive vegetable production, and includes a few scattered fruit and nut trees. The farm employs three local workers on a part-time basis.
Mainly they provide weekly boxes of mixed vegetables year-round to subscription customers, therefore it’s necessary to grow a large number of vegetable varieties. Climate and weather play a large role in what the farm can produce and they grow most frost-tender crops in a large greenhouse. They harvest rainwater from farm sheds and the greenhouse, save much of their own seeds and grow all their own seedlings for transplanting. Geoff also sells his produce through the Southern Harvest weekly produce box subscription scheme and at the community stall at the Bungendore Farmers Markets. You can find him there from 9-12 am every Saturday morning.
SECRETARY
Linda Graham-McCann has been a Company Director for over 40 years and has held a variety of executive roles including CEO of a large social enterprise, Regional Manager for a network of Tibetan Buddhist meditation centres and owner/operator of the ACT Organic food delivery service. In her retirement, she’s currently living in Upper Boro on an organic cattle farm and lending a hand out at Landtasia Organic Compost in Mulloon. She has lived in the Bungendore region on and off since 1989 and co-founded the Upper Mulloon Creek Landcare group in 1994 which received massive funding to repair a large headcut on Mulloon Creek at its source in a rare highland peat bog. She’s a keen gardener and meditation instructor and you might run into her when she’s occaisionally minding the SHA Bungendore shop.Â
COMMITTEE MEMBER & FARMER
Jo Gaha
Jo has had a varied career as a social worker, counsellor, academic and senior public servant before becoming an alpaca farmer. She lives on 120 acres in Michelago and breeds high quality alpacas in a variety of colours and produces natural alpaca fleece and yarn. The yarn and hand made goods are sold under the name of Pacawoolly. The farm uses sustainable, natural and economically viable products and processes in the care of the alpacas, the land and the fleeces.Her heritage as a woman from Lebanon, with a mother who was a wonderful gardener and cook has given her a love for, and commitment to, locally grown, seasonal foods and she can turn any set of seasonal ingredients into a delicious and wholesome meal.
COMMITTEE MEMBER & FARMER
Damian grew up on a traditional sheep, cattle, and wheat farm, but his career path led him to Canberra where
he pursued animation and game development. Together with his wife Rachael, they have successfully run a
digital content production business for over 20 years. Outside of the 9-5, they also own and operate Home Soil
– a small farm located on the outskirts of Canberra, specialising in growing open pollinated and heirloom
vegetables, and are contributors to the Southern Harvest produce boxes. Home Soil utilizes techniques from
No Dig, Permaculture, Regenerative and natural farming to build efficient and sustainable growing systems.
Damian is in the final stages of his studies with SoilFoodWeb, aiming for lab certification to identify soil
organisms and accurately calculate biomass. Supported by local businesses, Damian collects approximately 7-
9 240L of food waste and 1.5 cubic meters of used animal bedding weekly, allowing the production of
Biocomplete compost at scale. These pursuits blend his expertise in the digital / technical with his commitment
to sustainable, regenerative agriculture.
Damian is enthusiastic about serving on the board of Southern Harvest and looking forward to contributing his
unique blend of skills and passion.
COMMITTEE MEMBER & FARMER
John Carrol
* Bio coming soon * John farms with Prana Produce
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Lizzy Smith
Lizzy is an experienced designer specialising in management systems, work design and wellbeing.
Lizzy is a certified professional ergonomist (human factors specialist – how humans interact with the
world) and certified in Usability (digital design and interaction design).
Lizzy has worked in WHS management roles across many sectors – aviation, waste management,
community services, social enterprise and management consulting. Her most recent role was Manager
at Accenture, a global technology company where she consulted on service design in the health and
public service practice. Before that, during the COVID pandemic years, Lizzy was the Safety & Wellbeing
Partner with Community Resources Ltd, an Australian social enterprise charity that operates Resources
Recovery and Soft Landing (mattress recycling) locally.
Lizzy can: talk for hours on Solar punk, creativity, Permaculture, user experience and designing edible
gardens; aspires to canoe on every lake at the south coast; has a love of travel to experience how people
grow and eat local food; is originally from Queensland and is now a Queanbeyan ‘local’.
ASSISTANT TREASURER & PRODUCE BOX VOLUNTEER
Sarah Burgess
Hiya! Professionally I am a bean counter (affectionately used in jest), I am an accountant. I have volunteered to be the assistant treasurer. I have no green thumb skills whatsoever, but I am a keen bean and I love to cook (home-cooked-rustic-intuitive-creations) and more than cooking, I love to eat. The only philosophy I am guided by in being a committee member (my first) is wanting to help and the self-interest of being able to get my hands on the best, local ingredients around. I am blessed to be surrounded by honest, hard-working and knowledgeable people in Southern Harvest.
PRODUCE BOX LOGISTICS VOLUNTEER & RESEARCHER
Bronwyn Wilkes
Bronwyn is a voracious vegetable eater who has been subscribing to the Southern Harvest produce boxes since the Summer 2017-18 season, and volunteering since the Winter 2018 season – first at the Canberra City Farm site in Fyshwick, then later setting up the ANU collection site in Autumn 2019. She loves being able to support farmers who are stewarding the land, air, and water of this beautiful part of the world in ecologically sensitive ways. She enjoys the opportunity to be involved in helping other eaters access nutritious food farmed in ways that support the health and wellbeing of farmers, eaters, and ecosystems alike. Bronwyn particularly relishes the sense of community that SHA’s produce box scheme has helped to grow, and not just because she has a captive audience for her terrible food puns, but it also means she’s not the only person to get ridiculously excited about broccoli and leafy greens.
Staff
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Ruth Gaha-Morris
My work with SHA as Operations Manager, allows me to have worthwhile and meaningful linkages into my local food and farming communities. I am constantly amazed and often overwhelmed with the depth of community connections we are making through our activities like Harvest Festival and the Multi-farm Produce Box Scheme. Many of my earliest memories are of growing, cooking and preserving food. I am passionate about eating ethically and sustainably, having local food security, and I love to feed people. I run a small catering business utilising local, found and foraged foods to create tasty treats and year long preserves. I also run workshops in preserving, fermenting and cooking and get great satisfaction from teaching others how to work with the local harvests. I also work with the Farmers Market Alliance of NSW and, on a national level, with the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance.
PRODUCE BOX ASSISTANT, COMMS & ENGAGEMENT
Lucy Ridge
Lucy is a Canberra chef and freelance writer (mostly about food) taking a step back from the kitchen after a decade of cheffing to take a deep and curious dive into food production and sustainability, and learn more about the food system as a whole. Lucy is also a big fan of vegetables.
FARMERS MARKET ASSISTANT
Sonia McDonnell
Sonia had thought for awhile that being self sustainable was the goal, to be reliant as much as possible on what she could produce in her back yard. To this end Sonia attended permaculture courses, gardening workshops and grew many a veggie in this pursuit. Whilst this has taught her a lot, she found it to not actually be a realistic goal especially with working, having a young family and a small business.
Sonia got involved with Southern Harvest when she joined the Produce box scheme, as a way to supplement what they could grow at home, with good quality local food. However, what Sonia discovered, as well as delicious, nutrient dense food, was a rich community of people. “Farmers who can tell me about why the swedes are good this week or how come a carrot can grow to 750g and the real impact of drought; Community Stall customers who can delight with me in the lush colour of Warrigal greens or share the joy that a bunch of radishes can bring; veggie box subscribers who regail me with a story and recipe of how they used turnips in the previous week; and other volunteers who I enjoy catching up with every week. I started being a veggie box subscriber and have ended up finding a community to belong to and that’s pretty great”.