Aboriginal leaders unite at industry forum to strengthen future in sustainable agriculture

MORE than 30 Aboriginal land managers, growers and industry professionals gathered on the Far North Coast to share knowledge, strengthen partnerships and explore new opportunities in sustainable agriculture.

Hosted by North Coast Local Land Services, the two-day forum brought together representatives from native nurseries, bush tucker businesses, food producers and horticulture enterprises to exchange traditional ecological knowledge and discuss ways to grow businesses that support community, culture and Country.

The event aimed to strengthen regional networks while supporting Aboriginal communities to build sustainable agricultural enterprises grounded in cultural knowledge and environmental stewardship.

The forum began at Namabunda Farm at Alstonville, where discussions focused on creating opportunities for Aboriginal-owned businesses while fostering cultural connections and collaboration across the region.

Namabunda Farm’s Aunty Tracey said the gathering demonstrated the value of bringing people together around shared goals.

“It’s about coming together and driving home on common ideas and goals we can aspire to as a community, people and organisation for the betterment of Country and our future generation. It’s very inspirational,” she said.

“I’m so excited about the next steps we can take to actually achieve common goals through our networks, but for community as part of the community culture, education, training, employment and, most importantly, our environmental and biodiversity issues on Country.”

The second day, hosted by Conscious Ground Organics in Byron Bay, explored the potential of native and traditional foods, with sessions covering sustainable food production and opportunities in medicinal and natural beauty products.

Participants also connected with industry experts who can support Aboriginal businesses through training, mentoring and enterprise development.

The forum was delivered through the North Coast Climate Smart Agriculture project with support from the federal government’s Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.