Greater Sydney Local Land Services has launched a series of online resources to support small farmers during self-isolation.

The Big Shift for Small Farms podcast and “From the Ground Up – marketing fundamentals”
video series include a broad range of expert advice and information for growers and producers
running a variety of business from industry experts and their farming peers.

Greater Sydney Land Services Manager Vanessa Keyzer said the resources formed part of a
major project designed to help the growing number of small-scale farmers in the Sydney basin
and other hot spot areas in NSW.

“It’s a trend we have been seeing for years now, as the population grows along with the urban
sprawl a range of smaller scale producers have emerged in many forms from direct to market
vegetable growers to mobile butchers with abattoirs on wheels,” she said.

“This is a tough time for our agricultural industry which has experienced severe drought, fires
and floods. We want to do everything we can to ensure our farmers feel supported and still have
access to expert advice, information and assistance.”

‘The Big Shift for Small Farms’ podcast is a 10-part series produced by the Grow Love Project,
dedicated to helping small scale farmers and covering a range of topics from soil health to
mental health and everything in between.

“Each episode features a variety of farmers and industry experts with direct experience and
real-life stories on the topic in question,” Ms Keyzer said.

The marketing video series features expert tips and technical, practical advice on the
fundamentals of marketing and how to develop your own marketing plan.

“This was originally run as an interactive two-day workshop which we’ve now packaged up into
a three-part video series and workbook which farmers can access at their leisure,” she said.
Ms Keyzer encouraged anyone interested in improving their smaller scale farming business, or
those interested in starting one to take advantage of these new tools.

“You not only get direct access to a marketing expert, but you get to hear from farmers and key
agricultural players across the state about their experiences and what they’ve learnt along the
way,” she said.

Download the podcast from your usual provider, or visit here for more information and follow this
link to view the video series.

This project has been developed by Greater Sydney Local Land Services through funding from
the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.