Inaugural harvest festival to celebrate Riverina’s abundance of small farms and local produce

In the grand tapestry of farming, Riverina producers are set to come together to celebrate the fruits of their labour.

The two-day inaugural Riverina Harvest Festival, planned for March 2025, is about celebrating local food producers, farmers, and the community’s connection to sustainable food systems.

The dream of hosting a harvest festival and supporting local producers in the region led ErinEarth garden manager Eltan Mestan to spearhead the Riverina Harvest Festival.

“I had the dream of running a harvest festival when I was working on Mates Gully farm that did paddock to plate,” Eltan told Region.

“Each year, I saw the harvest and realised how much food is grown in this area by so many small farms and producers.”

The first spark of inspiration came after attending Sustain: The Australian Food Network’s urban agriculture festival conference in Sydney two years ago. Eltan returned home with the desire to host something similar in the Riverina, despite Sustain stepping back from the initial collaboration.

As the dreams grew bigger, Eltan realised he needed more help to organise the festival, especially if he was going to do it through ErinEarth. He then pitched the idea for a festival and conference to the Pro Patria Centre and Demonstration Garden, which eagerly came on board.

The two-day festival will be held at either Wagga Showgrounds or Wagga Beach.

The first day will feature a ticketed conference with around six speakers, including Charles Sturt University senior lecturer Dr John Rafferty, the president of Community Gardens Australia, and representatives from local producer groups.

The conference will cover topics related to local food, community gardening, and sustainable agriculture. It will be followed by a networking dinner to connect with fellow growers, producers, and community organisations.

“[Attendees] can meet and talk to each other about how we can work to make the community of growers strong,” Eltan said.

“Food is becoming more expensive, and we’ve got two big supermarkets in control.

“We’ve got so many beautiful farms, growers, and food that is not always accessible to everyone. Part of this is to try and make it more accessible.”

The second day is a free community festival open to the public. It will include live music, food stalls serving locally produced fare, workshops, and activities for children.

“[We’re] hoping the festival will be annual or perhaps a seasonal event,” Eltan said.

“We’ve never done anything like this before and don’t know how it will turn out, but we’re hoping it will be loved by the locals in Wagga.

“I want to show people in Wagga that there’s so much amazing food that is accessible.”

Eltan said community and local gardens play a key role in encouraging people to grow food at home or purchase it from a producer.

“You can come to ErinEarth, Pro Patria or the Demonstration Garden to grow some food, meet some like-minded people, get your hands in the soil, and say hello to a worm,” he said.

“Growing your food is great — whether it’s in your home vegetable garden, where you can feed your kids a ripe, juicy apple, tomato, or stick of asparagus.

“You’re getting your hands in the soil, exercising, and eating fresh fruit that hasn’t travelled or been sprayed with chemicals.”

Eltan said most farmers and producers were caretakers of the land and took that responsibility seriously.

“Many of them are committed to sustainability and looking after the land for future generations,” he said.

“Supporting people who think like that can only benefit the future of Wagga, the Riverina, and Australia — ensuring we take care of what’s in front of us for future generations.”

The garden manager said several local businesses and groups had come on board to support the Riverina Harvest Festival.

“Murrumbidgee Landcare is auspicing our group; they’re overseeing the whole running of the festival,” Eltan said.

“CSU Drought Hub provided funding early on to get us started, along with other businesses around town who have contributed funds.

“We are still in search of more people and businesses to get involved.”

The Riverina Harvest Festival is set to take place from 1-2 March 2025.

Follow the Riverina Harvest Festival on Facebook to keep up with festival updates. You can also keep an eye on their Facebook event page.

To get involved in the festival, contact ErinEarth garden manager Eltan Mestan at [email protected] or on 0439 702 384.

Original Article published by Shri Gayathirie Rajen on Region Riverina.