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Ask not what you can do for your garden, but what your garden can do for you!

Kat Lavers, Hobsons Bay City CouncilFuture of Local Food, Sept 2015

With apologies to John F Kennedy!

I co-coordinate My Smart Garden a permaculture style gardening in the West. Acknowledge Fiona and Carole who are also present.

I wanted to present because were all here talking about local food system. Like all systems there are many important pieces of the puzzle: food hubs, distribution software platforms, peri-urban farming etc. and amongst this backdrop its easy to lose track of the contribution that a humble garden can make. We use the term garden variety to describe something common place, harmless, inconsequential. I want to argue that home food production is consequential. Not about replacing our farmers, well always need farmers. Not about everyone being self sufficient either.

Ill start with smart gardening: what is it and isnt it, look at why its such a good place to start strategically, and also the barriers and the role of local govt in addressing these, tell you a bit more about the evaluation were conducting and the program model.

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Ive tried not to hype this up too much pretty normal2

Smart Gardening smart phone, smart garden. Able to be captured in a soundbite - easier to explain than permaculture. instead of an advanced operating system, we have a garden with an advanced design that can supply lots of your needs with minimal effort. 3

The quintuple whammy effect

foodshadehabitatwater wasteproximity is key

FOOD: decrease grocery bills, food miles. increase: food quality, food securitySHADE: decrease energy bills, increase home comfort and safety

A thermal image at the corner of Russell and Bourke streets, Melbourne, between 3-4pm on December 8, 2011, when the day's top temperature was 32.4. Numbers on this photo indicate degrees celcius. Photo: Jason Dowling. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-city-centre-a-death-trap-as-heatisland-effect-takes-its-toll-20140116-30xt8.html#ixzz3GvmutiZh

HABITAT: decrease extinction and pesticides, increase: wildlife and pollinationWATER: decrease water bills, increase waterway healthWASTE: decrease waste to landfill and methane emissions, waste into free resource

plus financial savings, community connections and presumably fun?

Plenty of attention focused on the house as a key site for reducing waste and energy use, still yet to fully realise the potential of the garden as a key site for sustainability action. Its hard to think of another activity that has such a dramatic ripple effect.

Proximity is key. in permaculture design we talk about relative location and energy efficient planning principles.resources of greywater, food scraps, garden prunings, newspaper and cardboard. rather than use fossil fuels to truck and pump them away to landfill or for recycling, we can reuse onsite to reduce need for expensive chemical fertilisers and other products. specifically with food waste. not a sexy topic, but no better motivator to reduce food waste than picking your own food fresh and then relying on compost. 30 people go through our beginners vegie course last weekend who are now demanding a compost workshop!space close to where we cook for convenient harvest and easy maintenance (panoptic, incidental), minimal food miles, maximum nutrient densityresilience and food security. proven as a response to social and economic crises. likely in the future to be a response to climate change. food supply is vulnerable to disruption. reduce urban heat island effect. deciduous trees important because at least for the moment we lose more people to cold related deaths than heat related in Australia.exercise and mental health, close to other people for easy swapping and sharing, building community, without proximity of producing food right where we live, we lose or dilute many of these benefits.

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Interest?Space?Time?

A reality check: where can local government strategically intervene?

Most gardens dont look as good as Georges. Many people will rightly note that not everyone enjoys spending time in a garden or wants to grow all their own food.

But the figures might surprise you.57% in VIC report already growing some food at home, with another 13% intending to start. 70% Victorians growing or intending to grow. Wildly popular! (2013. Australia Institute). Correlated with ABS stats and previous surveys. Doesnt seem to matter whether young or old, male or female, Liberal or Labour, background. There is no typical food gardener.

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(Or 3m2 and only 10 minutes a week for all your herbs and greens!)How much space do we really need?Ministry of Information, UK. 50m2 per person

Diggers Club and permaculture gardens in Melbourne. 10m2 per person and 1 or 2 hours per week

UK: different climate, shorter growing season than ours. traditional spacing need to capture every ray of sunlight.AUS: using permaculture design, intensive methods, clever tricks like eating more of the vegetable, special varieties. Equivalent to number of seats in theatre.

Space is to grow the majority of one persons herbs, greens and vegies. Not fruit, obviously not oils, grains and dairy.

Ghosh has estimated that average suburban garden could produce 800 1100kg. Enough to supply average household vegies, a small surplus of fruit. (Ghosh 2011)

a couple of hours per week, averaged out. actually quite lumpy most of a weekend, a bit of follow-up, 10 mins a week maintenance. more over summer, almost none over winter.

only 11% of Australias private households are units, apartments, flats.

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Skills and knowledgeSocial norms

A reality check: where can local government strategically intervene?

BUT about half have been growing food for 5 years or less, suggesting a high turnover rate. (Land tenure, time availability, frustration). The Australia Institute.

Home food production has a long history in Australia and all over the world. It got people through wars, recessions. But we have a missing generation. People used to learn these skills from their parents and grandparents.

You cant google the answer. Lots of different answers depending on where you live. Observation and learning, local knowledge and networks are important.

Key message is we may not need to recruit new gardeners, just need to help existing gardeners improve their yields and keep going.

Role of Local Government:Opportunity for local government to remove these barriers. Use our credibility with the community to dispel myths, educate and promote actions. Inspire and motivate. Rebranding, changing the image of gardeners green affluent minority and retirees. Mainstreaming, making visible. Support community networks and initiatives.

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About the program

Its the best activity that Ive been part of and was organised not for profit, but for the education of citizens. I think that this is an example of well spend (sic) tax money. This can have a very beneficial effect on our well-being in the long run. Knowledge can improve your life and make you more resistant in hard times like an economic recession. This is a wonderful programme. I now grow more, better vegetables/herbs/fruits/flowers and plants. I preserve lots, I swap, share lots. Just the best!Apart from the excellent gardening information it is good to meet like minded people. Socialisation is important for folk living alone, making community interaction easy. Sometimes it is hard to engage with neighbours... especially those busy working.Its great and [I] have already passed on info to friends and colleagues at work.[The program] connects me to a whole new community and field of knowledgeEven though I don't attend many events due to work and family commitments, I find the online presence of this program very useful and gives a sense of being involved.Thank You. You can teach an old Williamstown dog new tricks.I know my family and I are eating a bigger and tastier variety of fruits and vegetables as a result of participating in the program and learning how to grow them. We also enjoy fresh eggs and the company of our chickens.

Established in 2010, 1550 participants in West (although many travel from other areas)Workshops, events, notes, seasonal tips, advice, library collections, inspiration, networks.

I dont want to suggest that the program is perfect or unique, but it is a great start at fulfilling that role. Currently conducting an evaluation due out next month.

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So are we having an impact?

at least 51 tonnes of organic wasteat least 95 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions; andat least 2748 kilolitres of potable water86061400

The 295 people who answered these survey questions have (conservatively) reduced their annual resource use by:(2782)(20)(4567)65% of our participants report sharing their skills and knowledge with family, friends and colleagues.

Preliminary results, difficult to measure.

The 295 who answered these survey questions have (conservatively) reduced their resource use by:at least 51 tonnes of organic waste (equivalent to 860 small wheelie bins);at least 95 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (equivalent to the emissions of six average Australian households); andat least 2748 kilolitres of potable water (equivalent to volume of 1400 slimline rainwater tanks)

If we assume a similar rate of action from the 961 program participants who have attended at least one workshop, the program generates annual savings of:165 tonnes organic waste, equiv to 2782 small wheelie bins 310 t CO2e, equivalent to 19.58 households8952kL, equivalent to 4567 average slimline tanks

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A partnership model

consistencybreadth and diversity of events a smart garden curriculumbrand recognitionspecial projectsthree heads are better than one!

0.4 FTE per council, modest annual program budget.

permaculture principles in an organisational context: integrate rather than segregate, catch and store energy, diversity. symbiosis!

Consistency: budget and time (faster response time to inquiries, fewer gaps between events, smooth ebbs and flows in time and funding availability)Breadth and diversity: (access to more workshops, notes and resources beyond just the basics. able to explore advanced topics while still offering core subjects for beginners)Brand recognition: building recognition in Western suburbsSpecial projects: library collections, cooking with home produce, workshops with refugees

= Efficiency: a bigger impact using fewer resources. Delivers great value for council.

Consider this an open invitation to join in if your council is interested!

Recap: potential of home food production as well as barriers, My Smart Garden as a resource efficient model to address these.

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Thank youKat LaversSustainability OfficerMy Smart GardenHobsons Bay City Council

klavers@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au9932 1142, Mondays and Thursdays

www.mysmartgarden.org.au

Thanks for your time.

Rattlesnake beans with address on it.If anyone wants to be notified when we release our evaluation report come and chat to me. 11