Far North Queensland food producers Matt and Jess Fealy have been listed by an American non-profit organisation, Food Tank, as one of 10 farmers from around the world you need to know.
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The only ones on the list from Australia, their Blue Sky Produce farm at Mareeba producing mangoes, avocados, passionfruit and limes, joins others from Hong Kong to Uganda on the list designed to highlight small-scale farms increasing access to nutritious food for communities around the world.
Jess, who, along with Matt, is described in the citation as leaving the city to start their orchard, and being passionate about sustainable farming, said it had been nice to get the recognition.
“It’s an organisation that does a lot of advocacy round reducing food waste and holistic production.
“We do a lot of mulching round our trees and integrated pest management, and they found us on social media.
“We may be able to tap into some of the others on the list, and get good connections that way.”
Matt will be travelling next year as part of his research for his Nuffield Scholarship, looking at robotics, automation and emerging technology.
Who else is in the top 10?
Becky Balderstone (United Arab Emirates): Since 2011, Becky Balderstone has been running Ripe Organic, the farm network, store, and community organization she founded in the United Arab Emirates.
Ben Burkett (United States): Ben Burkett is a fourth-generation farmer who grows vegetables on 300 acres in southern Mississippi, but he is also a tireless advocate for family farms.
Thomas Harttung (Denmark): Thomas Harttung is the Co-Founder of Aarstiderne, an organic produce and meal box delivery program that now supplies more than 45,000 customers across Denmark and Sweden with fresh, nutritious food.
Tengiwe Cristina Kaba (South Africa): As the Executive Director of Abalimi: The People’s Garden Center, Tengiwe Cristina Kaba teaches Cape Town residents effective urban gardening strategies.
Michael Leung (Hong Kong): Michael Leung is the founder and creative director of HK Farm, which grows organic produce on the rooftops of Hong Kong.
Márcio Lopes de Freitas (Brazil): Márcio Lopes de Freitas is the President of the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives and Vice President of the Americas Region for the International Cooperative Agricultural Organisation.
Robert Morris and Gigi Pontejos-Morris (Philippines): Robert Morris and Gigi Pontejos-Morris own MoCa Family Farm in the Philippines. They purchased the farm as a traditional mango orchard but soon converted it into a certified agri-tourism destination.
Edie Mukiibi (Uganda): In addition to serving as the Vice President of Slow Food International, Edie Mukiibi spearheads the organization’s 10,000 Gardens in Africa project, which aims to engage food-insecure youth in sustainable food and agriculture by creating 10,000 gardens across the continent. The project started as the 1,000 Gardens Project.
Denise O’Brien (United States): Denise O’Brien has been a farmer in southern Iowa for the past several decades, growing fruits and vegetables and raising organic chickens and turkeys with her husband.