Otago Farmers Market general manager Kate Vercoe said at the annual plan hearings yesterday, that Covid-19 highlighted the need for more discussion of food resilience and weaknesses in the current food system.
Having someone around the council table at a policy level with a food resilience mandate would strengthen its position and bring the importance of local food resilience, food sovereignty and food security into higher level conversations, she said.
‘‘The Otago Farmers Market Trust is very supportive of the food resilience position that sits within Enterprise Dunedin to be retained and, in fact, for the position to be moved into a more wide-reaching part of the council structure.
Ms Vercoe said she hoped further funding and resources would be put into the community to further food education in schools.
The market had potential to shift to the Dunedin waterfront, if a planned development went ahead.
Her sentiments were echoed by Our Food Network spokeswoman Niki Bould, who also hoped the food resilience position would be moved into a more influential position in council.
She noted larger supermarket chains were undermining smaller, local food businesses who were struggling under Covid-19.
The Otago Farmers Market hoped to reopen under Level 2 on May 16.
