The Case for Urban Farm Incubators in Australia

BySustain Team

A Blueprint for Local Economic Development, Community Connection, Food Security and Climate Resilience

Australia at a Crossroads 

Australia’s food and farming system is facing a generational transition. Farmers are ageing, land prices are soaring, and new entrants- especially first-generation farmers- face almost insurmountable barriers to access, training, and capital. At the same time, communities are calling for more resilient, localised food systems that can respond to climate shocks, support healthy diets, and sustain regional economies. 

Urban Farm Incubators (UFIs) offer a proven, cost-effective response. They create structured pathways into farming by combining secure land access, hands-on training, business mentoring, and community engagement. In doing so, they grow not only farmers, but also local jobs, enterprise ecosystems, and community resilience.  

Read the full report here

The Opportunity 

In partnership with Sustain: the Australian Food Network and Young Farmers Connect, and with the guidance and support of Whittlesea Community Connections and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, Yarra Valley ECOSS seeks to work with Yarra Valley community members and organisations to co-design and lead the implementation of a Farmer Incubator pilot at its 7-acre site in Warburton. The ECOSS site, with its established market garden, well nourished soil, existing infrastructure and direct access to local markets (including the weekly on-site market), is an ideal location for the implementation of a Farmer Incubator in Australia.

Around the world, incubator programs have demonstrated remarkable social and economic returns: 

Urban Farm Incubators deliver multiple, interconnected public benefits: 

  • Local economic development: New small enterprises create local jobs, expand regional food markets, and retain value within communities. 
  • Community connection: Shared land and learning spaces build belonging, intergenerational exchange, and mental wellbeing. 
  • Food security: Locally grown, affordable produce strengthens access to fresh, healthy food and shortens supply chains. 
  • Climate resilience: Regenerative practices, urban greening, and water-wise production improve biodiversity, soil health, and carbon sequestration.  

Key Success Factors 

Research from the U.S., U.K., Canada, and emerging Australian pilots shows consistent elements of success: 

  • Secure, affordable land tenure through councils, land trusts, or partnerships with First Nations custodians. 
  • Integrated training and enterprise development, extending beyond production to business planning, marketing, and financial literacy. 
  • Strong mentorship and peer networks that sustain confidence, innovation, and retention. 
  • Market linkages through community-supported agriculture (CSA), farmers’ markets, and local procurement. 
  • Phased, financially sustainable models, blending earned income (produce sales, education services, agritourism) with public and philanthropic investment. 

When embedded in their communities, UFIs become anchors for education, climate adaptation, and local food access, amplifying their social value far beyond farming.  

Policy and Investment Recommendations 

1. Activate Public Land for Food and Training 

  • Enable access to underutilised council, state, and institutional land for urban and peri-urban incubator projects. 
  • Formalise long-term tenure through leasing and partnership models, including collaboration with First Nations custodians. 
  • Introduce zoning reforms that legitimise urban and community-scale agriculture. 

2. Establish Dedicated Funding Streams 

  • Create state and federal programs to fund UFI infrastructure, training, and evaluation—similar to VicHealth’s Future Healthy Food Hubs. 
  • Leverage philanthropic and private partnerships to extend reach, innovation, and resilience. 
  • Align UFIs with national agendas on regional development, youth employment, food security, and climate adaptation. 

3. Foster Collaborative Delivery Models 

  • Build partnerships between local government, TAFEs, social enterprises, and community organisations. 
  • Prioritise sites near communities facing food insecurity or underemployment. 
  • Design inclusive pathways for young people, First Nations participants, women, migrants, and career changers. 

4. Build Financial Sustainability 

  • Combine produce sales, education fees, and social procurement contracts with ongoing grant support. 
  • Adopt phased development- governance, pilot, growth, and maturity – to ensure long-term viability. 

5. Position UFIs as Community Anchors for the New Economy 

Urban Farm Incubators should be recognised as essential local infrastructure—places where regenerative agriculture, climate adaptation, and community wellbeing converge. 

With coordinated investment, policy reform, and partnership, UFIs can transform underused urban land into productive, connected, and climate-ready landscapes, equipping a new generation of farmers to lead Australia’s transition to a fair, resilient, and sustainable food future.

Read the full report here

 

Executive summary of report authored by Joel Orchard, Young Farmers Connect, for an action research project examining Farmer Incubators in Australia, funded by the Greater Melbourne Foundation (formerly the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation) and led by Sustain: the Australian Food Network.

Sustain Team

Sustain is a “think and do” network, specialising in designing and building sustainable and healthy food systems. We work with governments, councils, and community leaders to help map local food systems, and develop evidence-based and achievable policies and programs. We sow the seeds of change with events, policy work, practice & thought leadership, capacity building, and collective action. We give people, councils, and organisations the tools they need to help them become empowered food citizens, supporting healthy communities, people and ecosystems.

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