Supporting local food production on the Bellarine

Bellarine Farmgate has a vision of burgeoning local food production on the Bellarine, connecting growers with residents keen to purchase fresh, high-quality, locally-grown produce.

Growing and eating locally has many personal, business and environmental advantages.

Established in 2021, the Bellarine Farmgate is a non-profit organisation now hosted by Vince Panetta on his farm at 218 Murradoc Road, Drysdale.

About 20 local growers bring their produce to the market for sale, with volunteers opening the produce market on Saturday 9am to 3pm and Sunday 10am to 2pm.

“More people are aware of food miles, and they want to buy seasonal fruit and vegetables, so we’ve seen a great increase in customers coming to our weekend market,” Bellarine Farmgate co-chair Chris Lean said.

“We’re keen to connect with people who are growers, or would like to be growers, so that we can further build this local food economy.”

Bellarine Farmgate also aims to connect local landowners, growers and producers with enthusiastic growers.

The team is working with other local associations such as Bellarine Landcare to run demonstrations and workshops for sustainable farming practices.

Increasing food production on the Bellarine will take time as crops take time to grow and farmers need time to plan their planting.

Farmers also need to know that there are local consumers who want to purchase their crops.

Anyone wishing to connect with Bellarine Farmgate can contact us on [email protected]