Welcome to EcoMart Northern Rivers Co-op Ltd
The not-for-profit EcoMart Northern Rivers Co-op will create an alternative to the mainstream food system where food produced at a distance is transported to the Northern Rivers through a series of unknown suppliers. By contrast, the co-op enables us to have relationships with the people who produce our food directly and that means: more sustainable production, just and healthy food.
Why local?
Locally produced foods travel shorter distances, and use less fossil fuels to get to our table. This reduces our personal contributions to climate change and helps us prepare for a time when fossil fuels are less available.
All of our local food will be fresher and more nutritious.
Farmers and producers of local food are friends and
neighbours, and pricing is expected to reflect a fair value for their
work. When we buy from local farmers and producers, the money
circulates several times before it leaves the community, Strengthening
the local economy for all of us.
The EcoMart Northern Rivers Co-op Ltd supports every form of
local food exchange. It is meant to complement local farmers markets
and farm-gate operations.
So Many Reasons to Buy Locally Produced Food.
- good for the consumers!
- fresher food
- more nutritious
- better tasting and higher quality
- healthy eating supports a healthy lifestyle and improved quality of life
- good conscience food choices that reflect our values/morals
- knowledge of the history/story of the food we eat, where it is from and how it is produced
- reduced health risks of food from other countries with different food safety laws and practices
- safer, there will be less opportunity for contamination which can occur during mass production, longdistance transportation, and longer storage
Good for the Farmers/Producers!
- supports family farms to stay in business
- producers name their price - profit to producers and not middlemen
- web-based ordering means the goods are sold before the producer delivers them
- producers list goods in the quantities they want to sell and when they have goods available
- Producers need only deliver goods once a week to the one location
- consumer support for more sustainable farm practices
- new opportunities to produce quality food crops for locals (rather than volume commodity to ship elsewhere)
Good for the Community!
- builds relationships between producers and consumers
- money stays in the community
- supports the local economy, new employment/business opportunities
- builds direct relationships between consumers/producers/neighbours
- food system education, understanding how our food choices affect the quality of life for everyone
- supports regional food self reliance
Good for the Planet!
- environmentally friendly
- local production for local consumption means less food transport
- using local shops and home delivery means less food transport and fewer fossil fuels used
- reduced contribution to air pollution and global warming
- less demand for a declining resource with related geopolitical consequences, read about peak oil for more information
- supports organic, sustainable farming/food production practices and reduced pesticides or insecticides and
- reduce any other conventional or mainstream practices with adverse effects on the environment (e.g. large scale monoculture)
- protect, replenish and improve the quality of the soil
- less waste e.g. reduced efforts involved in transporting long distances, unnecessary packaging, and spoiled food
- fits universal human values/morals
- labour rights (work conditions, fair pay, justice)
- good food as a human right not just a commodity
- money/economic power towards a sustainable food system (rather than the current corporate dominated model)