You have heard of the Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley and Yarra Valley. These are regions praised for their boutique produce and immersive agricultural tourism. But have you ever been to the Majura Valley?
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The Majura Valley sweeps the outskirts of Canberra. It is ten minutes from the nation's capital and close to an international airport. You would think that makes it a prime location for weekenders and foreign tourists. After all, it boasts a truffle farm, a winery and other artisan delights. But farmers in the Majura Valley face a unique problem.
There's 13 leaseholders in the valley. And out of that 13, there's only two that have leases at all. Currently, the other 11 have no lease and they're living in a situation where their homes, their employment, their primary production is all based on land that they no longer own.
- Sherry McArdle English
The ACT's leasehold system means land can be resumed by the government with only a few month's notice. Lease insecurity makes it difficult for these Majura farmers to secure a loan to develop their properties and scale up their businesses.
You might not have thought of Canberra as an agrarian heart land. But before it was the bush capital it was a farm. ABS data shows the amount of land farmed in the ACT is shrinking.
We spoke with Majura locals - generation farmers and newcomers alike. And explored Canberra's agricultural past, present and potential.
We don't have visions of conquering the world, but I hope that it will be here a long time after I'm gone.
- Frank Van De Loo
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Read more about the Majura farmers on The Canberra Times.
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Laura Carolina Corrigan
Canberra Times producer with a background in news and podcasts.
Canberra Times producer with a background in news and podcasts.
Tom Melville
Originally from Canberra, Tom Melville worked for the BBC in the UK and as a freelancer in Tunisia before coming to ACM. He is the host of ACM's national podcast Voice of Real Australia. urlgeni.us/VORAPod
Originally from Canberra, Tom Melville worked for the BBC in the UK and as a freelancer in Tunisia before coming to ACM. He is the host of ACM's national podcast Voice of Real Australia. urlgeni.us/VORAPod
