Council's Economic Sustainability manager Susannah Smith took the participants through the plan to make the Macleay Valley one of the key contributors of food stuffs to Australia and the world in the coming decades, as demand increases along with the world’s rapidly expanding population.

They were also given a sneak preview of the Macleay Valley Food Bowl website, a key component of the project, which is due to be launched in June.

The Macleay Valley Food Bowl concept was launched in November last year at the Mid North Coast Food Forum at Bonville Golf Course.

Among the participants at Gladstone on Tuesday were representatives of federal government departments dealing with trade and industry, Local Land Services, council and agricultural industry groups.

Food Innovation Australia, a federally funded advocacy group established to foster commercially driven collaboration and innovation in the Australian food and beverage industry, also provided a keynote speaker.

The workshop was told that on current forecasts it would be necessary for the world to grow about twice as many crops as it does at the moment to feed people and the increasing number of animals that will need to be produced to feed the planet.

“We were absolutely delighted with the turnout and the enthusiasm of the participants to want to work together,” Ms Smith said.

“I have already received emails from people who took part saying they have made contact with other people from the workshop to exchange ideas.

“The Macleay Valley is well placed to take advantage of this increased demand as historically agriculture is something we have done very well.

“Some of the great opportunities are in beef and dairy production, pasture raised poultry and rabbit meat, and organic produce.”

Ms Smith said the variety of producers in the room was encouraging.

“We had a whole range of different types of agriculture represented from cut flowers to organic garlic to more traditional beef and dairy farmers,” she said.

“What the workshop did was demonstrate the appetite for new thinking and new ideas among the growers and farmers.”