Grow Small, Feed All

Tasmania Renewal

Community Renewal Scheme:Tasmania

Overview

Grow Small, Feed All: Tasmania Renewal is a long-term community renewal policy designed to strengthen Tasmania’s everyday food economy by backing small-scale farms, building local pathways, and ensuring communities have reliable access to nutritious, locally grown food. Tasmania produces exceptional food, yet many small and mixed farms struggle to remain viable. This is not due to lack of skill or commitment, but because current systems are poorly designed for small-scale production: fragmented planning rules, weak local distribution pathways, and limited access to stable markets.

This policy proposes a practical, ethical solution: long-term public investment in small farms, paired with a clear, staged return of food to the community.

The core principle

Food is public good infrastructure.

When small farms are supported to thrive, communities benefit through:

secure regional livelihoods
improved public health and preventative care
climate and soil resilience
stronger local economies and social connection

Grow Small, Feed All treats small farms not as short-term projects, but as essential civic partners in community wellbeing.

The Community Renewal Scheme (10-year model)

Total investment

$600 million over 10 years

Allocation

75% direct to farms: $450 million
25% coordination and assurance: $150 million
(administration, procurement capability and design, regional coordinators, agronomist support, monitoring & evaluation, auditing, and market coordination)

Long-term Small Farm Renewal Grants

Who this is for

Small-scale and mixed market gardens producing vegetables and herbs for local consumption.

Grant structure

$33,000 per farm per year
10-year commitment
Total per farm: $330,000 over 10 years

Scale

Approximately 1,360 market gardens supported across Tasmania over the life of the scheme. This long-term horizon provides certainty, allowing farmers to invest in soil health, infrastructure, skills, and reliable production systems.

The Community Food Contract (reciprocal return)

At the heart of Grow Small, Feed All is a Community Food Contract a clear, staged agreement between farms and the community Farmers receive stable public support. In return, they supply increasing quantities of food into agreed community pathways as their capacity grows. This is a partnership model, not a compliance regime.

Years 1-3: Establishment phase

20% community return (by retail value)

In the first three years, farms focus on:

soil building and infrastructure
skill development and systems
stabilising yields and labour

During this phase:

farms commit to supplying food equivalent to 20% of the retail value of their annual grant
food is prioritised for:
- school canteen programs
- soup kitchens and community food services
- food prescription programs (e.g. diabetes and preventative health pathways)
community enterprises purchase this food at wholesale prices (approximately 30% below retail)

This ensures farmers are not overburdened while relationships and supply systems are established.

Years 4-6: Consolidation phase

40% community return (by retail value)

As farm productivity and reliability increase:

farms supply food equivalent to 40% of the retail value of their annual grant
food continues to be sold at wholesale prices to approved community buyers

At this stage:

supply becomes more predictable
public value circulation strengthens
local food pathways mature

Years 7-10: Maturity phase

50% community return (by retail value)

In the final four years:

farms supply food equivalent to 50% of the retail value of their annual grant
food remains sold at wholesale prices, maintaining affordability

By this stage:

farms are economically and agronomically stable
schools and health services have reliable, long-term supply
the public return on investment is clear and measurable

Why wholesale pricing matters

Community buyers: schools, soup kitchens, health services (food prescriptions), and food programs: purchase food at wholesale prices, not receive donations.

This:

incentivises participation
maintains dignity for farmers
creates real, functioning markets
ensures continuity beyond the life of the scheme

Planning and pathway reform

Grow Small, Feed All also calls for:

a consistent, low-impact planning pathway for micro-farms and market gardens across Tasmania
fit-for-purpose approvals for:
- small infrastructure
- wash-pack and light processing
- on-farm education and community access

This removes unnecessary barriers and reduces risk for small growers.

Public procurement alignment

The scheme prioritises a shift in public procurement so that:

schools, food prescriptions, soup kitchens, hospitals, aged care facilities and Tasmanian Institutions
source local, seasonal Tasmanian produce via markets
as a stable demand anchor for small farms

This aligns health, education, and regional development outcomes with food system investment.

What this delivers (system-wide outcomes)

Over ten years, Grow Small, Feed All will:

support and build capacity for 1,360 small market gardens
support and build capacity for local food eating in community organisations, schools and households
circulate over $30 million per year worth of fresh local food into communities
strengthen preventative health and food education programs
stabilise regional farm livelihoods and communities
build long-term resilience in Tasmania’s food system

How the model operates

The scheme functions as a distributed, place-based network:

many local farms and community nodes
supported by regional coordinators
guided by simple, transparent agreements
flexible to local context within a statewide framework

This is a mycelium model: distributed, resilient, and quietly powerful.

Tasmanian Agricultural Mutual (the 1% Resilience Bank)

To make Grow Small, Feed All resilient over decades, we will establish a Tasmanian Agricultural Mutual, a member-owned “resilience bank” that builds shared security for small and mixed farms while strengthening local procurement pathways. The Mutual is funded through a simple mechanism: a 1% contribution from verified sales moving through the scheme’s pathways, such as local procurement contracts and food-hub aggregation. This creates a quiet, compounding stream of capital that stays in Tasmania and is governed transparently by members for the long-term health of farms and communities.

Rather than attempting to become a regulated bank on day one, the Mutual will work through trusted, regulated partners to deliver immediate benefits. It will use the pooled funds to provide loan guarantees and interest buy-downs so farmers can access affordable finance for the practical infrastructure that procurement requires, including wash/pack capacity, cool storage, season extension, irrigation resilience, soil-building systems, and light processing. It will also establish a catastrophe and volatility buffer that can release rapid support when fires, floods, crop failures, or market shocks hit, so farms are not left stranded between disaster and slow-moving assistance.

The Mutual will additionally leverage collective buying power to negotiate group insurance and risk cover with authorised providers, lowering costs through one coordinated facility rather than leaving each farm to negotiate alone. Over time, it can also support accessible pathways into superannuation and long-term financial security for farmers, recognising that a resilient food system requires resilient livelihoods. In essence, this is the financial “mycelium” of the Community Renewal Scheme: small contributions, shared risk, local circulation, and long-term stability, enabling farms to keep feeding Tasmania, season after season, and communities to renew through nourishment rather than crisis response.

How to be involved

Farmers
Expressions of interest to support the development and ultimate participation in the Small Farm Renewal Grants and Community Food Contracts.

Schools, health services, community organisations
Expressions of interest to support the development and ultimate Partnership as community buyers and food pathway hosts.

Community members - Build the Mycelium Network!
Volunteer through local Landcare and food initiatives, including Thursday Landcare Days at Magical Farm, and support the campaign through Regen Era Design Studio.

Email us here to get involved: emily@regeneracommons.org

Purpose

To regenerate Tasmania’s everyday food economy by backing small farms, building local pathways, and returning nourishment to communities through fair, reciprocal partnerships.