Australian Fair Food Forum

CALLING ALL URBAN FARMERS! Farming Melbourne urban agriculture survey

Announcements
#1

Participate in the survey! Click on the link to take the survey: http://go.unimelb.edu.au/nx66

Is urban agriculture going to save the world? Could it help Melbourne’s food supply be more resilient? Is urban agriculture more, or less sustainable than other forms of agriculture? What resources get used to grow food in cities? How might this change in the future?

Until now, research about urban agriculture has often been concerned with what’s growing in cities. It often looks at what the current benefits of food growing are, or how much land is available to grow food.

But with the help of citizen scientists and gardeners, the Farming Melbourne project is creating a new urban agriculture dataset. This dataset will allow urban agriculture to be looked at in the context of its role in cities and in food supply resilience, both now and into a climate change affected future.

Become an urban agriculture citizen scientist by clicking on the link to take the survey: http://go.unimelb.edu.au/nx66

Your garden doesn’t need to be amazing to participate, we’re interested in all food gardens, of all sizes, and of any level of productivity. At the end of the year, gardeners who complete this survey will go in the running to win prizes. The more times you complete the survey the better the prizes, and your chance of winning!

  • If you complete the survey for three months (out of 12), you will go into the draw to win a $40 CERES voucher.

  • Those who complete it for six months go into the draw to win one of two $50 CERES vouchers.

  • Complete it for nine months to go into the draw to win one of three $60 CERES vouchers.

  • If you complete it for 12 months you will receive a thank you gift of Diggers seeds, AND you will go into the draw to win one of five $100 CERES vouchers.

Project team and partners
This project is led by Dr Seona Candy, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne.

Research and communications assistance is provide by Jennifer Sheridan.

We are excited to be working with project partners:

3000 Acres

The City of Melbourne

Moreland Food Gardens Network

Biofilta

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#2

This seems like an outstanding program but does this apply just to city of Melbourne or greater Victoria because here in the the north west as we may be considered a regional food bowl it is quite hard to obtain fresh local produce. Farmers market vendors and the modern green grocer buy in a lot of produce to diversify there range therefore it is not as economically sound as it should be. Although the Sunraysia Area is considered a small regional city the food deserts are extremely abundant.

#3

Hi @jadecurphey87 this project is just trying to build a database about urban agriculture rather than looking at the food system and how some of those food deserts occur. Have you connected up with @slff the Sunraysia Local Food Future group? They are certainly working on some of the issues you’re discussing.

#4

Sorry for the rave, I’m pretty passionate about where my food comes from. I did not know about the slff thank you kindly for sharing

1 Like
#5

Hi @jadecurphey87 (and thanks @Jen for the intro), you can take a look at some of what we are working on at www.outoftheboxsunraysia.com.au and our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sunraysialocalfoodfuture/

We’re also facilitating matching vacant land with landless farmers to increase the number of small-scale farms in our region, the Facebook page for the pilot project is here: https://www.facebook.com/sunraysiaburundiangarden/

We were holding regular (about monthly) gatherings that have been in hiatus since last November, but should be starting those up again soon… maybe one in June, so keep your eye on the Facebook page for details. :slight_smile:

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