City slickers urged to link with farmers
Farmers in NSW are reaching out to city dwellers, inviting them to reconnect with people living in regional areas.
The NSW Farmers' Association on Tuesday launched a campaign aimed at educating metropolitan consumers about where their food came from and raising awareness about farm life.
"Gone are the days when most city residents had a connection to the bush and understood the processes involved to help feed their families," association president Charles Armstrong told the organisation's annual conference in Sydney.
"Through this campaign, we aim to raise awareness of the modern face of farming a nd bridge the city country divide."
The 'Families Needing Farmers' campaign will be spearheaded by television commercials and has a dedicated website.
Earlier, Mr Armstrong told the conference inadequate infrastructure continued to be a core barrier to growth in regional agriculture and development, as well as discouraging people from moving to rural areas.
"Without positive improvements in these three key areas, there is no way NSW can meet the demands or enjoy the potential benefits that will be created by a global food shortage, domestic population increases and carbon trading," he said.
Mr Armstrong warned NSW could not afford to see a continuing population drift from rural to city areas.
"If there are no jobs in rural NSW, population will continue to migrate to the cities and coast, placing ever greater burden on urban infrastructure and services," he said.
The NSW Farmers' Association called on the state and federal governme nts to help combat negative perceptions often held in larger cities around rural life.
"Agriculture is the economic and social backbone of most regional towns," he said.
"Government must commit major resources and policy support to increasing the appeal, viability and prospects of agriculture," Mr Armstrong said.
The conference which began on Tuesday will run until Thursday.
