Honouring First Nations Food Systems for the Next Generation
6–13 July 2025 | NAIDOC Week: “The Next Generation – Strength, Vision & Legacy”
NAIDOC Week 2025 is a time to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year's theme invites us to reflect not only on the achievements of the past but also on the bright future ahead — empowered by the strength of young leaders, the vision of communities, and the legacy of ancestors.
One part of that legacy lies in the way First Nations peoples have long cared for Country—through food systems grounded in deep respect for land, sea, and culture. These foodways have nourished communities for millennia—and still hold answers for a healthier, more connected future.
Global Wisdom, Local Lessons
Indigenous peoples globally steward over 22% of the Earth's land and protect most of the planet’s remaining biodiversity (FAO, 2021). Their food systems are among the most climate-resilient in the world. As the international FAO in brief report notes,
“Indigenous peoples understand how their local foods are resilient and adapted to their local environments, even when climate challenged… This knowledge is grounded in culture, spirituality, and historical legacy... Indigenous food systems are essential for sustainable diets.”
In Australia, for over 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have managed place-based food systems that go far beyond nutrition. Grounded in kinship, ceremony, seasonal knowledge, and reciprocity with nature, these foodways exemplify sustainability in action. Long before supermarkets and industrial farming, First Nations communities cared for Country through knowledge passed down over generations.
Communities knew when to harvest ngaru (bush tomatoes) after desert rains, how to grind wattleseed into flour, and how to engineer intricate eel traps at Budj Bim—a UNESCO World Heritage site. They cultivated and cared for plants like yam daisy, saltbush, finger lime, and lemon myrtle—foods rich in nutrients, culture, and ecological significance.
These food systems are based on core principles that speak powerfully to today’s environmental and health challenges:
Take only what you need – prioritise balance over excess
Eat locally and seasonally – work with our ecosystems, not against them
Waste nothing – honour every part of the plant or animal
Respect interconnectedness – see food as part of story, identity, and stewardship
These aren’t new or trendy ideas—they are enduring values that challenge extractive models of agriculture and consumption. As Dietitians Australia has acknowledged, protecting and learning from Indigenous food knowledge is vital to improving community wellbeing, health outcomes and environmental sustainability.
Carrying the Legacy Forward—Together
This year’s NAIDOC Week theme asks us to consider what kind of food future we want to create. What will we pass on to the next generation?
The good news is: everyone has a part to play. Whether you’re cooking at home, shopping at the markets, teaching your kids, or simply learning something new—you can help carry forward this powerful legacy.
Here are a few simple ways to start:
Try native foods like warrigal greens, kakadu plum, or bush mint—and learn about their origins
Support Indigenous-owned food businesses such as Mabu Mabu
Explore First Nations voices through books, videos, and podcasts such as:
Books:
The Oldest Foods on Earth: A History of Australian Native Foods by John Newton
Dark Emu, Black Seeds by Bruce Pascoe
Videos:
Podcasts:
Join a local NAIDOC event and connect with your community
Talk with your kids about where food comes from and whose land we’re on
These actions might seem small—but together, they create a bigger shift towards respect, sustainability and cultural strength.
As Australia continues to grapple with its complex history and work towards reconciliation, understanding and respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s food culture can serve as a bridge between communities. It offers a tangible way to appreciate the depth of their knowledge and the importance of preserving these traditions for future generations.
Let’s take this NAIDOC Week to celebrate that wisdom. Let’s listen, learn and honour the knowledge that has always been here.
Want to Learn More?
Aboriginal Food Practices and Australian Native Plant-Based Foods: A Step toward Sustainable Food Systems - Sustainability, Lopes et. al (2023)
Dietitians Australia: Healthy and Sustainable Diets – Position Statement, Barbour et. al. (2022)
Integrating Australian Native Foods for a More Sustainable Food System: A Qualitative Co-Design Study with Aboriginal Communities – Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, Lopes et. al (2025)
Pathways between foodways and wellbeing for First Nations Australians – BMC Public Health, Anderson et. al. (2024)
Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems: Insights on sustainability and resilience from the front line of climate change. In Brief - FAO (2021)
FAO Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems - FAO
National Strategy for Food Security in Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities - Australian Government
Food and Agriculture – Australian Council of Deans of Science - ACDS
Reshaping Australian Food Systems – CSIRO
Food and Agriculture – Deadly Story
Connecting Indigenous communities through food & social eating – Torrens University
Aboriginal foodways: Towards a return of native food in Australia – Sustainable Food Trust
Location-specific Resources
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Anangu people)
Noongar seasons and food (Kaartdijin Noongar)
Aboriginal people, land and food (Victoria)
Fishing the Old Way: Indigenous Fish Traps of Western Australia (Menang community)
Acknowledgement
Eatwise Dietetics acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live and work. We honour their deep and ongoing connection to land, waters, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and we commit to walking together toward a more sustainable, inclusive and nourishing future for all.