Exploring WA's South West food future and history

A recent presentation to the Lower Blackwood Land Conservation District Committee (LCDC) by a Curtin University expert delivered an intriguing exploration of the historical and future trajectories of the food system in WA’s South West.

Research for Dr Angela Rooney’s thesis commenced in 2017, inspired and motivated by her involvement in the research project Towards a Sustainable Lower Blackwood Region: A Whole of Landscape Perspective – a collaboration between the LCDC and Curtin’s Sustainability Policy Institute.

The project combines an exegesis with ArcGIS StoryMap Collection, utilising transition theory to provide insights into local food production, consumption, local cooking, and cuisines amidst a changing socio-economic and environmental landscape.

This is the first time an intensive investigation into the Lower Blackwood region has been undertaken from a sustainability perspective, capturing community stories and interviews alongside extensive archival research.

Represented by a series of stories linked to the local food system, the StoryMap addresses the question, “What is the contribution of food production and consumption in the Lower Blackwood region historically, and what are future opportunities?“.

By combining interviews with landholders and other key stakeholders with extensive archival research, Dr Rooney documented the rich social history of local food in the area.

Most interview participants were nominated by the LCDC, with further participants introduced by the Augusta Historical Museum.

Stories are presented in a magazine-style format, providing readers with a vivid portrayal of the local food scene.

Place is defined and shaped by many different factors, and the parameters of this collection predominantly focus on the Lower Blackwood region.

The research revealed food had played a crucial role in shaping the social and environmental landscape of the Lower Blackwood region, documenting the historical contributions of food production and consumption and future opportunities for our food system in the face of evolving challenges and opportunities.

Many recognise the need for an integrated food policy to be developed at either State or Federal level: a policy that integrates land, food and farming that anticipates the challenges of climate change and population growth, and other unknown issues.

The exegesis critically analyses the StoryMapping process as a digital platform, examining its effectiveness in exploring, interpreting, and reproducing the local food system as a digital documentary, and can be located at the Curtin Library or by email Dr Rooney.

Dr Rooney wishes to acknowledge and thank Associate Professor Laura Stocker, Lower Blackwood Land Conservation District Committee and Augusta Historical Society.