FORMER Hawkesbury farmer Gary Adams believes the days of areas such as the Hawkesbury producing food for Sydney are gone, unless there are drastic changes to regulations and from businesses.
Adams was a farmer in the region for many years, and has since retired, although said he still helps out a family member from time-to-time near his Tennyson home to “keep him sane”.
Adams contacted the Gazette after reading a recent article about the impact urban sprawl was having on areas like the Hawkesbury, and said he and many other local farmers faced those problems over the years and were eventually forced out.
Adams said he grew produce as a farmer, but it gradually became harder and harder over the years, thanks to failed planning from all levels of governments, and changing business practices.
“When I was 11 and 12, we bought land at East Kurrajong Road, and the area was predominantly fruit trees - apricots and plums,” he said.
“Farming was done in the Richmond Lowlands to the extent that everything you looked at was a form of a market garden.
“[But now] people have walked away from farming.
“I am frustrated because we were the food bowl and we no longer are. We rely on properties outside our area to supply the goods. We have navels oranges coming in from America, and we used to grow them here.”
Adams said the proliferation of turf farms in the Hawkesbury was no accident. He said the yield from turf was much higher than produce, and was much more dependable.
He said that he did not begrudge turf farmers, but at the same time feels that someone in government somewhere ought to have reserved land specifically for growing food, whether that was fruit, vegetables or cattle, and protecting that land from encroaching urban sprawl.
“You've only got to come through the Lowlands and see all the turf and at Freemans Reach,” he said.
“In years gone by boats used to come up the river and we were the food bowl for Sydney. We've now left the food bowl and there is limited farming.
“At one stage we did have greenbelt areas brought in by the government, set aside to grow vegetables, where the land had to stay rural. That has all been thrown out.
“There are a lot of people should look in their own backyard to see how we got here. It is not just the growers, it is politicians, local councils, town planners.”
At the same time, he said business practices, particularly of the big supermarket chains, had made it more difficult for growers.
“The farmer who wants to grow capsicums is basically screwed by the marketplace, which is another deterrent,” he said.
At the same time, he added that consumer behaviour also hurt farmers.
“Apathy is going to be the killer in a lot of respects,” he said.
“At the end of the day the shopper will say ‘who cares about where my food comes from as long as I've got it’.”
