<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A community food network operating across </span><a href="http://www.9news.com.au/new-south-wales" rel="" target="" title="New South Wales"><span>New South Wales</span></a><span> and </span><a href="http://www.9news.com.au/victoria" rel="" target="" title="Victoria"><span>Victoria</span></a><span> says its smaller footprint means it will be less exposed to rising costs in the weeks to come.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Higher diesel prices, rising fertiliser costs and increased transport charges as a result of the </span><a href="http://www.9news.com.au/middle-east" rel="" target="" title="Middle East"><span>Middle East</span></a><span> war have affected farmers' margins, and although fuel prices have fallen from their peak in March, the flow-on impacts of the crisis are about to strike.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Farmers and retailers have warned that the price of fresh food could climb 20 per cent due to pressures on the supply chain.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LIVE UPDATES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-attack-iran-live-updates-april-24-donald-trump-latest-world-news-headlines/4aa34654-9dfb-40a2-9813-57fdc3436ca4" rel="" target="" title="Israel, Lebanon extend ceasefire"><strong><span>Israel, Lebanon extend ceasefire</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Leigh Lind, from Sydney's inner west, said being a member of his local Box Divvy hub was helping with the uncertainty of the shock to come.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We've definitely been thinking more about what we buy each week," Lind said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><blockquote><span>"I feel glad we're part of a system that's a bit closer to where food is coming from - it just feels more stable week to week."</span></blockquote></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/fuel-crisis-food-miles-community-food-networks-australia-news/e68899bd-8ee8-425d-bed5-177332bc519c" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Box Divvy is a community-driven food co-op that connects households with fresh, seasonal produce from hubs supplied by local growers, both direct and via the company's warehouse in Granville.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There may be between 15 and 40 members in a hub, made up of strangers or family and friend groups, who browse available produce and pantry items and place their orders via an app.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The "hubster" is paid to operate the hub, either from their garage or a community space, receiving the weekly bulk delivery and "divvying" it up between members.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There are 350 hubs across NSW, the ACT and Victoria, with plans to launch into Queensland in the coming months.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>ANZAC DAY:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/anzac-day-long-weekend-business-hours-across-australia/d2d3b5c0-77f5-4ee1-9938-d36f5dad6f4c"><strong><span>Business operating hours over the long weekend</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Co-founder Anton van den Berg said about half their produce was sourced locally, largely from growers within the Sydney basin.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"When fuel prices rise, distance matters," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The fuel that they're using, obviously, is more costly but what they don't have is the transport costs to Sydney because they're literally within 40 or 50km from our warehouse, so that's definitely put a lid on pricing."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The hubs have also started experimenting with buying produce from their own members, dubbed "backyard growers".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It could be herbs, it could be lemons, or indeed backyard chooks, and they're able to then sell this into their local hubs and make that food ultra, ultra local," van den Berg said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His ambition is to have more small and backyard growers supplying directly into hubs, with less reliance on the warehouse.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There's a lot of small growers, especially in regional areas that rely on a single farmer's market," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"What we're trying to do is to basically provide an alternative channel in addition to where they currently sell their fruit and veg to make that business also more resilient."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He said currently, Box Divvy was paying local growers between 5 per cent and 10 per cent more at the farm gate, to cover the higher costs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"In many cases, that increase covers most of the cost pressure growers are facing," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"These pressures are real, and over time they do flow through.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"What we're seeing now is the early stage of that.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The next few weeks will be telling in terms of how much of this starts to show up more clearly in prices."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Where shoppers don't notice price rises, he said, they may notice unpredictability in the supply and availability of seasonal produce at the supermarket.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"These are structural pressures," van den Berg said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They don't hit all at once, but they do build.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"What it shows is how exposed the food system can be to fuel and global disruption.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There's a growing need to build more resilient, locally connected systems so communities are better prepared when these kinds of shocks occur."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/milk-prices-cost-of-living-fuel-crisis-norco-announces-increase-in-farmgate-milk-price/4b690388-980b-4b20-af68-04b607d5b46d" rel="" target="" title="Dairy producers have also warned of rising prices"><span>Dairy producers have also warned of rising prices</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/fuel-prices-australia-farmers-warn-low-supply-could-result-in-red-meat-shortage-high-prices/535293ff-f3c6-48e4-bc09-ad69399e6588" rel="" target="" title="red meat producers could face supply shortages"><span>red meat producers could face supply shortages</span></a><span> as the US-led war on Iran drags on.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Even if it ended today, there has been impacts on supply chains that will be with us for weeks and months ahead," energy minister Chris Bowen said earlier this month.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a 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