Outback to a-la-carte: Indigenous youth food revolution!

Food Ladder’s innovative growing technologies & STEM framework with World Vision’s social enterprise SKYE Clubs & Young Mob Program, our SOLVE solution empowers remote Indigenous Youth to lead the evolution of ‘paddock-to-plate’ movement bringing nutritious & native food, Indigenous culture, youth enterprise & STEM curriculum to Australia & beyond.

The ‘Closing the Gap’ report shows that supply driven, service delivery models are not working to address gaps in health, education and employment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Remote Australian regions such as the Kimberley in Western Australia aspire to labor market participation rates that mirror the norms that apply across the State and nation.

The Kimberley Development Commission regional Blueprint (2015) identified within its top 20 emerging industries; 6th Accommodation and Food Services jobs will grow from 1124 over 8,000 by 2036. However, outcomes of this scale will require new innovative approaches to empower and engage remote Indigenous Communities.

World Vision Australia has been working very hard with over 40 indigenous partner communities for many years, building strong relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities so that they can drive their own development, including the Winun Ngari Aboriginal Corporation in the West Kimberley. Our Young Mob Leaders Program won a ZEST award (2014) for ‘Outstanding Project in an Aboriginal Organisation’.  Our core focus areas include Reconciliation, Education for Life and Collaboration for Systemic Change.

Food Ladder, a not for profit (NFP), is addressing food and nutritional security using cutting edge commercial growing technology in the most remote Indigenous communities in Australia as well as slums throughout India and Afghanistan. Today Food Ladder is engaged in production of crops feeding over 4,000 children who would otherwise not have access to nutritious food, has created primary industry in Indigenous Australia, is delivering up to 5% nutritional uplift, financial returns and employment outcomes to those most in need.

Outback to a-la-carte initiative will provide a healthy hub in remote indigenous communities that engages young people in STEM education and entrepreneurial skill development, offers local casual employment and business development opportunities through the commercially viable social enterprise.

“You can’t build a peaceful world on empty stomachs and human misery” Norman Borlaug.

The food security crisis in remote Indigenous communities underpins health, social and economic challenges which have remained insurmountable for generations. 

The 11 year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians threatens this generation and the next as well as the very survival of irreplaceable Indigenous knowledge systems.

Outback to a-la-carteunlocks young Indigenous social capital to lead their communities as empowered social entrepreneurs by overcoming the challenge of growing food in arid environments with needs specific STEM education together with financially and environmentally sustainable technologies.

Outback to a-la-carte is a bridging program, connecting technology and infrastructure with training to activate entrepreneurial mindset and behaviour. 

Selecting the Kimberley Region is significant, given the growing international tourism market providing a platform to showcase emerging entrepreneurs launched through this program. 

It is important to note that the Kimberley Region is not just a tourism draw card, but holds over 189 edible Indigenous bush foods and Top5 global hotspot of endangered languages, the opportunities for sustaining language and food culture is immense. 

Let’s shift the narrative to leverage natural and cultural resources, to better face health and livelihood challenges.

Outback to a-la-carte will support, accelerate and celebrate young remote Indigenous entrepreneurialism and ancient ethnoecology working within purpose built sustainable growing technologies.

This is seeding a paradigm-shift in global food systems from homogenous western diet carrying chronic disease to reposition Indigenous foods at the forefront in a new fusion cuisine for innovation across local tourism, hospitality and food industries.

The program is built from a structured strengths-based, holistic and youth-centred foundation - delivering content in ways that not only connect culture with social, physical and emotional wellbeing, but that engage parents and Elders and strengthens connections with the broader community.

Vegetable yields and store sales.

Reporting from in community nutritionists and doctors on improved health, vitality and optimum diet

- Access and consumption of nutritionally rich food (i) Secured access to nutrient dense fresh food for vulnerable areas, increasing consumption of vegetables and nutrition education for kids; (ii) Reconciling Indigenous bush foods with locally grown vegies

(i) STEM curriculum; (ii) SKYE Club entrepreneurial curriculum; (iii) demonstrated skill application positively contributing to the development of their community; (iv)demonstrated positive application of leadership skills; (v) improved critical thinking - Proportion female/male remote indigenous youth that improved entrepreneurial self-efficacy:

(i) completed SKYE Club employability curriculum; (ii)accessed casual employment via greenhouse; (iii) gained work experience in food industry/tourist sector (iv) developed a business plan for starting a niche enterprise or business; (v) gain employment - Proportion female/male remote indigenous youth that report having improved economic outcomes:

Food Ladder delivers an instant social enterprise and income stream to the remote communities with the first harvest 5 weeks following the completion of Food Ladder’s 3 week construction period.

Globally, this is the only use of commercial growing technology to address economic development and food security.

Enhanced by STEM education materials purpose built to increase learning outcomes for young people and incorporating indigenous languages and culture, the local youth leaders become the agents for change through a social enterprise that drives health and economic development in their community with long sought primary industry with global exposure and enterprise opportunities.

Countless programs have been designed to support Indigenous health, none yet deliver solutions that empower Indigenous people to grow nutritious food with technology which delivers blended health and financial uplift outcomes.

Youth are literally inside the technology acquiring STEM education, alongside their elders learning together about the oldest living cuisine in the world. This project reconciles innovative education with ancient knowledge systems engaging the whole community to create a truly unique food advancement.

Outback to a-la-carte activates an entrepreneurial mindset, supports co-design of solutions to business expansion challenges and building of niche side businesses that convert aspirations into revenue streams.

Outback to a-la-carte communities are those that have reached out to Food Ladder expressing a desire to participate and where World Vision has an established presence. 

For low literacy and numeracy students the national curriculum aligned STEM, health and nutrition resources are delivered directly through teachers working in remote schools and the Young Mob program. Free mobile learning apps and online resources incorporating Indigenous languages deliver ongoing support remotely.

Food Ladder social enterprises are financially self-sustaining meaning future generations will continue to benefit from Outback to a-la-carte at no additional cost.

All money secured by the SOLVE Challenge will be directed to up-front costs of building the Food Ladder Greenhouses, with ownership retained at the Community Level.

All revenue generated from these enterprises through the harvests (every 5-8 weeks depending on the crops) goes directly to the enterprise plan for distribution – not back into Food Ladder or World Vision.

Local casual labor associated with both the greenhouse construction and the year round cyclical harvest make this initiative compelling to the local community.

The greenhouse acts as a catalyst for other entrepreneurial social enterprises supported through the SKYE Club and Young Mob Leaders programs. 

The Outback to a-la-carte initiate is portable and ready to be embraced by other remote Indigenous Communities.

Sustainable change cannot be imposed, it must come from the community. Food Ladder only engages communities that have called upon the solution and following extensive community consultation. This approach is validated through a perfect record of success with no failed projects since its inception.

With over 40 communities on the Food Ladder waiting list and demand coming directly from the Kimberley region, World Vision and Food Ladder are confident the foundation exists for success.

Short power outages pose risk to Food Ladder systems’ technology which ensure optimal growing conditions, this is mitigated through off grid solar powered system design.

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Outback to a-la-carte will provide English and Indigenous language STEM learning opportunities combined with ongoing casual harvesting employment and enterprise development support to increase the representation of Indigenous Australians earning from engagement in food production and food services industries.

Becoming a SOLVER would bring visibility to an all too often overlooked and persistent challenge to ‘Close the Gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of Australia. Further, access to the digital know-how to support and accelerate emerging enterprises and digital value chain connectors necessary to empower skilled confident Indigenous youth food entrepreneurs using nutritious & native food to redefine Australian cuisine.

World Vision and Food Ladder partnering with Indigenous remote communities across the Broome to Derby West Kimberley corridor.

'Intrepid’ travel Group to incorporate bush foods into Kimberley travel experiences.

Other partners: Outback Stores; remote Government operated retailers; hotel sector across the Dampier Peninsula; local schools, nutritionists and community cooking groups.

No one else doing this in remote indigenous communities.