State of the Salad Bowl 2021-22
- from Robert Pekin
With all the uncertainty that surrounds us at the moment one thing is for certain, disruption is here to stay - and we’re excited! Obviously I’m not talking about Covid, even though it certainly prised open some big fault lines.
So dear eater, before we all fall over the line and take a well deserved break, there are some momentous things that we are keen to double down on with your participation over the next little while. Most regular Food Connectors know that we’re a “systems” focused social enterprise with a lot of things going on behind the box. We look as far down at the root cause as we can possibly go and design solutions that go right past any perceived problem. We all exist in nested systems, and the need to understand our context in all of this is crucial:
But before I get into the disruptions I just want to touch on some of the things that needed to be done when our post-COVID reality emerged:
Thanks to a State government social enterprise grant we were able to engage the team at Griffith Uni’s Yunus Centre for Social Business to review business operations. There were cracks in the model that were exposed through the pressure of the pandemic. After 16 years it feels as if we are just warming up :)
So, what are these big momentous things, mentioned at the top, that we need to think about in the next few years?
So what does this all have to do with us?
Everything.
All of these disruptions point to the need for us to create connected communities where we can re-imagine what our own region can provide for our needs.
Next year we’re going to be more ambitious than ever in building a food culture that befits our neck of the woods, such as:
After all, our longstanding unofficial slogan has always been ‘putting the culture back into agriculture’. We hope you can join us!
Finally, thank you to all of you for being part of our community, journey and change. Particularly Food Connect staff, past and present - it's been a big few years full of lots challenges, wins, hard work and change, and you've risen to every occasion. I know everyone appreciates all that you do.
See you in 2022!