We are thrilled to see Fran McLaughlin’s vision to "Feed the Bush" given the boost it deserves.
Fran McLaughlin has a vision to “Feed the Bush” a better way; a concept that now also won the support of AgriFutures Australia with Fran having been awarded their inaugural Rural Women’s Acceleration Grant.
“Feed the Bush” is set to make a wide range of fresh produce more accessible to rural communities and provide a sustainable alternative to broadacre vegetable production, enabling crops to be grown in areas where they have traditionally been difficult to grow.
The “Feed the Bush” agricultural microgrid concept aims to empower remote and Indigenous communities to grow their own food closer to where it is going to be consumed, thereby decreasing travel miles and increasing both the shelf-life and nutrient value of the produce. The initiative has many other socio-economic benefits including rural job creation and providing remote communities with access to a greater variety (and reliable supply) of clean, fresh produce.
At InvertiGro, we share Fran’s vision and look forward to watching this concept grow from strength to strength.
You can read more about "Feed the Bush: cropping in a cube" (AgriFutures), "Feeding the Bush from the backyard with vertical farming" (ABC Rural) and "Australia: Feeding the bush from the backyard with vertical farming" (Vertical Farm Daily).
Vertical farming has become synonymous with urban farming, and whilst indoor vertical farming provides an ideal solution to space efficient growing in under-utilised urban spaces (reducing food miles, improving food security and freshness); we also see the applications of our systems reaching well beyond city limits.
From on-farm to in-store, our unique farming solution can similarly provide opportunities to
- improve access to, and freshness of, out-of-region produce,
- reduce food miles,
- improve crop predictability
- diversify traditional grower's risks, and
- create new job and business opportunities
in remote and regional communities.
Fran McLaughlin is one of seven recipients of the inaugural AgriFutures Australia Rural Women's Acceleration Grant