A group of people interested in supporting a community garden project met in Cobargo on the 23rd of May.
The idea came from the screening of the film The Power of Community and how the Cubans coped with major economic change. The project, brain child of Ana Walker, is to get people interested in growing fresh organic food in a community atmosphere. The meeting was attended by 10 people, the following points were made.
That the garden would be community based. Its main objectives would be to grow organic fresh local food for growers and possibly to sell to the public to raise funds in the future.
To grow different varieties and involve The Seed Savers group.
The garden could be a place for education on how to grow food, permaculture and sustainable growing practices.
The original idea was to ask permission from the Council to build a garden in the vacant land between the Cobargo pre-school and the Cemetery; which used to be a golf course about 14 years ago.Since then it has been mowed and bailed sometimes by the council.
Although a very attractive project, it was decided many more people are needed to carry on such a huge plan, therefore the objectives have changed for the moment. It was decided to proceed with another form based on people’s own backyard “vegie patch”. We are looking at what assets and resources we already have in the community and build on them. This concept would have immediate results; instead of the long period of organising a big group required for a centralised garden and the red tape involved in acquiring public land. This different concept of a community garden may be of interest to a wider group of people. Following along these lines the short term objectives will be:
To create a data base for who is growing what, where, when.
To connect and exchange knowledge and produce.
To hold workshops and working bees in different gardens every month, with “experts”, (we have quite a few), giving advice.
Help people to create a new garden or to better an existing garden.
Involve The Seed Saver group and create a “pod”.
Visit other gardens, private and community based in the area.
There is a lot of support in the district for this type of project and we encourage interested people to attend the next meeting on Friday 25th of July at the CWA building in Cobargo.
With rising fuel prices and our greater reliance on imported food, it makes sense to provide ourselves with basic healthy sustenance.
Please contact:
anadodero(at)bigpond.com
64936746 or 0417936746.
Thanks.
Rebeccah Norman. Cobargo
