A group of First Nations Australians is leading the push to put native grains on the menu, foster an industry that stays in Indigenous hands, create employment, and improve health.
A mill is being set up on the Sunshine Coast, with the hope of involving growers from across the country.Proponents hope to create an industry for First Nations people, while also improving their health with the native "superfood".
"We're trying to bring back a 60,000-year-old food system into a modern context, but retain that authenticity and integrity," Mr Birch said."This is what has happened with so many other bush food industries — like Kakadu plum," Mr Birch said."We don't want to lose it … we need to get ourselves in the position where we can actually benefit from this industry."Mr Pascoe said there was no shortage of interest in bush food.
She has been working with women in her home town of Lightning Ridge to create a seed bank, so that they are ready to plant when they have access to more land — one of biggest challenges of the project."Our native grasses hold food and medicine and story, song, language, dance, art — that connectedness and ceremony," Ms Ashby said.Latest Closing the Gap data shows only five out of 19 targets are 'on track'.
Mr Birch said his research had also shown gluten-free species of native grains were a "superfood" with "as high antioxidants as blueberries", iron content "as high as beef liver supplements" and "twice the amount of calcium than in full cream cow's milk".She said because there were so few native grain mills and people cultivating the crops, low supply meant high prices.
"They sell that to the commercial markets and have their own restaurants where they showcase this native food.
Ancient Grains First Nations Jacob Birch Superfood Bruce Pascoe Indigenous Food Bush Foods Women's Business Rhonda Ashby Tanika Orr Bush Tucker Yaamarra And Yarral Indigenous Aboriginal Food Sovereignty
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