As many of us are well aware, our farmers have been suffering from the drought, and some have also had to deal with the worst bushfires the country has seen in a long time.
Did you know, according to the National Farmers Federation, that only 15% of Australia’s daily food supply is imported?
This means we rely on our farmers a lot more than we realise!
Many farmers have side businesses that have become a lifeline as they struggle to make money from their farms. There are also many farmers and regional businesses who don’t have a second income option, and are doing it tough.
Luckily, there are many campaigns that show us how we can support them!
Buy from the Bush
The Buy from the Bush movement started in October 2019, to encourage city goers to do their Christmas shopping from a rural business facing drought.
$5 million was generated in the first four months of the campaign for businesses featured in their Instagram feed!
Fast forward almost a year and people still remember it as a way to help keep rural communities alive from the comfort of their living room.
By doing so, we are helping farming families who are unable to make money from their usual activities generate funds to pay for the bills, groceries and more!
Check out their website for rural businesses you can buy from.
The #buyfromthebush hashtag has been used over 175K times on Instagram!
Empty Esky
The Empty Esky campaign took off to encourage people to support regional businesses impacted by the 2019/2020 bushfires. Many people were too scared to visit towns that, despite being close to the bushfires, had functioning businesses.
Aussies can make a pledge to visit regional towns with an empty esky, and fill it with goods purchased from local small businesses. If you want to participate, check out their website for the directory of businesses who’ve registered.
A map showing businesses who’ve registered.
Aussie Helpers
Aussie Helpers is a charity that helps hundreds of farming families navigate through the tough times. They provide hay, farming supplies and support to Aussie Farming kids. Here, donations help school kids with things like computers, books, travel costs and more. Check out their website to find out about the many ways you can donate.
An Aussie farmer saying thanks to the Aussie Helpers!
Buy a Bale
This campaign helps deliver hay and other items to farmers who don’t have feed left for their cattle. Their website demonstrates the many ways donations impact rural communities:
“All donations to our drought assistance campaign have a four fold effect. Some hay is donated, some we buy, so we’re feeding a hay farmer and their family. Some of our truckies are donating their time and diesel, some loads we’re paying for, so we’re feeding truckies and their families. Donations towards our Country Card inject immediate cash into the rural towns, city cash going bush. Finally what hay we deliver saves farmers cash that they can continue to spend on other items.”
There are so many ways to support and donate to this campaign. Check out their website for a list.
We’ve highlighted a few of the ways you can support rural farmers and regional small businesses. It’s important to remember that rebuilding your life and business after drought and bushfires can take years.
With this in mind, remembering these initiatives any time of the year can allow us to provide continuous support to those who need it most.
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