One of the benefits of living in the country or a regional area is the close proximity to freshly grown fruit and vegetables produced right on your doorstep. Living in a large city makes this almost impossible – except in Western Sydney thanks to the NSW government – when it made a portion of it’s 5280-hectare Western Sydney Parklands available for urban farming in 2011.
The scheme currently has sixteen farms operating within 100-hectares, producing table ready fresh foods including cucumbers, beans, broad beans, zucchini, strawberries, tomatoes, chillies, capsicum, kale and cabbage right through to fresh flowers. The produce is sold at the farm gate, meaning you can drop in and buy direct from the farmer as well as being sold locally in and around Liverpool, Blacktown, Fairfield areas and at markets across Sydney.
“Growing food closer to our cities benefits the people of Western Sydney who have better access to fresh food, reducing food miles, connecting communities, retaining the agricultural heritage landscape and ensuring the freshest, best quality produce is delivered straight from the paddock to people’s plates,” Western Sydney Parklands executive director Suelle Fitzgerald said.
The urban farming scheme has been so successful the Western Sydney Parklands Trust is calling for expressions of interest for their new release of lots for budding urban farmers. The government body will review each application to ensure it meets sustainable farming practices with six land parcels on offer ranging from three to nine hectares. The lots are available for mixed agricultural use from open growing, orchards and glasshouses.
You don’t necessarily need to be from a farming family, however if submitting a tender, you will need to tick all of the boxes in terms of presenting a business plan of best practices in managing the land use, urban produce experience and sustainable farming practices.
Increasing the supply of farm fresh produce into the Western Sydney region will add to the ever increasingly world class live, work, eat and play environment and opportunity that’s being created in the region for families and property investors.
With the ongoing infrastructure projects including Western Sydney Airport and Business Park, Western Sydney road and rail transport upgrades, hospital, school and park land upgrades it’s easy to see why there are so many investment opportunities on offer in the Western Sydney region.
If you are looking to increase your investment portfolio and you would like to learn more about the current Western Sydney property investment opportunities be sure to give the team at Plan Assist a call.
