UPDATE: Local Food Launchpad 2016 has finished, but our participants are just getting started. Check out their projects and see what’s next here.

Local Food Launchpad 2016: Pitch Night

Known as one of the world’s most liveable cities, Melbourne is Australia’s fastest growing capital city, with a population expected to reach 8 million people by 2050. To support a city in which all can thrive, we need a food system that is healthy, sustainable, secure and socially inclusive — from paddock to plate. Not only is this good for people and planet, a vibrant local food system is also good for business, and provides a foundation for a resilient future.

To improve Melbourne’s food system, and sustainably grow Melbourne’s local food economy, City of Melbourne, Doing Something Good and Open Food Network this year offered a ten week accelerator program to support the development of socially innovative local food enterprises and community projects. Now in its second year, The Local Food Launchpad, works with passionate and visionary Melburnians to grow their capability to innovate, creatively solve complex issues, build partnerships, design strategic interventions and scale their social, environmental and economic impact through a diverse range of ventures and activities.

This year’s participants will be launching social enterprises, workshop programs, mini-documentaries, local food promotion campaigns, community growing programs and small scale farming opportunities. In addition to working to improve our food system, many of these initiatives are also seeking to address key issues affecting our cities most vulnerable, including the long term unemployed, newly arrived refugees and our growing number of homeless people. The innovative operating and business models are being developed to be replicable and adaptable, and hold real potential to make change at scale.