Food Connect Brisbane When Robert Pekin took over his family's fourth-generation dairy farm in rural 'v'ictoria he had a grand vision to make the farm more sustainablei. Seeking to understand everything from the perspective of his cows, he made changes to the farm to reduce his reliance on chemicals. He studied permacuiture and land care and connected with other farmers who were attempting to adopt biodynamic and organic farming practices. However, a few bad seasons coupled with the deregulation of the dairy industry left Robert struggling to make ends meet\". 1ll'l'ith his mental health in tatters, he made the traumatic decision to walk away from the family farm with SSD ooo of debt. Robert was not the only dairy farmer to experience this late. "By the time I came back [to the family farm] fundamentally [the dairyr industry] had changed the supermarkets had a lot of control. There were about 2t] cooperatives in our area when l was a kid; so all of the farmers had plenty of choice with who they supplied to; there was a quota system so you couldn't flood the market and it was really fairly done in a local distribution scheme. But by the time I came back, it had become a global system and there was only one cooperative left; so it eventually became corporatised and the farmers had no say. We had CECts on million-dollar salaries and farmers basically shooting themselves."'ii Seeking to make sense of his life; Robert spent time in Tasmania where he was introduced to the concept of Community Supported agriculture iCSAl". CSA was developed in the 1950s in Japan, Germany and the United kingdom and beosme popular in the united States during the 1990s. It is based on the idea that farmers and those who consume food are equal stakeholders in the food system. Producers and consumers should have a personal relationship and should share in the risks and benefits of a farm. The CSA model resonated with Robert who had felt a disconnection betvieen his milk and the people drinking it while he was dairy farming\". tt ignited his passion to create a fairer food system that beneted both producers and consumers. Founding- Food Connect Fast forward to EMS. Now living in Brisbane, Robert founded a social enterprise called Food Connect with the support of a few local fanners and motivated mu ms\". Robert wanted to make sure that farmers who were dedicated to growing nutritious food while looking after their soil, land and wildlife found customers who were willing to support their efforts. This meant customers were treated as stakeholders who shared the risk with farmers; paid the true cost of production and developed pErsonal relationships with growers. Food Connect acted as a facilitator behoeen farmers in Southeast Ctueensland and families living in Brisbane. Robert explains; "We're based on the premise of putting the farmers' faces on the food and we act as a facilitator betuveen farmer and family. Food Connect provides a distribution network that the community participates in, so we're shifting people from consumers to connectors, where there's a relationship, understanding and a closed loop.\"ii The Food Connect model The Food Connect modei relies on the Brisbane community backing farmers within SDCI- dkm radius of the city. Farmers are :paid upfront for their produce- Half of the price of the produce goes directly to farmers compared to the national average of 14 "1'\". Food Connect farmers adopt regenerative l'arrning methods and grow food to suit local climatic conditions\". This allows them to minimise their energy needs as well as reliance on fertilisers and chemical inputs. As well as certified organic farmers, Food Connect supports farmers using other holistic farming methods such as chemical-free farming, biodynamic farming and permaculture. Fresh produce is harvested by fan'ners, packed into boxes and delivmed to community pick- up spots, known as City Cousins 3'. City Cousins store the boxes in their homes until they are collected by Food Connect customers, usually within 43 hours of harvest. Most customers travel less than a kilometre to their City Cousin, which is a shorter distance than they would usually travel to a supermarket. In the process, City Cousins develop personal relationships with Food Connect customers, building a sense of com munity. The model encourages peopie to eat seasonal, local food that is nutritious rather than beautiful. It dramatically reduces the carbon footprint associated with transporting food out of season and across the world. Cin avemge, the produce delivered through Food Connect travels 140km compared to the national average of llkmi'i. Food Connect also challenges the conventional idea that convenience is the most important element of the food system\". it is based on the premise that peo pie who know the farmers and understand the hard work that goes into food production are less likely to waste food. The import of Food Connect Since it was founded over 15 years ago, Food Connect has operated based on the principles of the circular economy by creating a closeloop food system that eliminates food waste\". It is a certified 3 Corporation, meaning that it has been assessed based on its positive impact on workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. Based on an assessment by Social 1ventures Australia, every dollar invested in Food Connect generates 515.33 of social value for the com munity. Some of the outcomes of Food Connect include\": .- Average food miles of 140km compared to the national average of llkm. .- Farmers receive 50% of the retail price of their produce compared to the national average of 14s. I- Creation of 15 permanent jobs and incubation of 15 food entrepreneurs. v Supplying produce to 45 buyers clubs, restaurants and cafes and well as 1500: households weekly. I Contributing 523 million dollars to the local food economy. Overall, Food Connect offers an alternative model to conventional supermarkets. The organisation seeks to transform the food system so that sustainable practices are embedded in even; part of the process. The statement: A. The main reason for Food Connect's success is that it embraces the principles of the circular economy. B. The main reason for Food Connect's success is that it clearlyr follows the Activist Approach of Environmental responsibility. C. The main reason for Food Connect's success is that it embraces the concept of CSR and the Triple Bottom Line