Events

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In 2021, Trust for Nature secured funding from the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation to collaborate on an innovative project: Protecting our Sustainably Managed Farmland. The project, also supported by the McLeod Family Foundation, identifies a number of permanent protection and collective ownership models that can secure important peri-urban landscapes threatened by encroaching development, and support new and young farmers seeking access to sustainably managed farmland. A feature of the project is the real-world case study in the context of the establishment of the Natural Agriculture Community by project partner Cassinia Environmental, in Rokewood, Victoria.

Presenters

- Joel Orchard, Founder and Coordinator, Young Farmers Connect

- Annemaree Docking, Principal, PlanItRural / Proprietor, Dalhousie Farm

- Linda Martin-Chew, Principal, PlanItRural

Panellists:

- Cecilia Riebl, Policy Advisor, Trust for Nature

- Nick Rose, Executive Director, Sustain: The Australian Food Network

- Rohan Clarke, Ethical Fields / Regen Farmers Mutual

- Andrew Ward, Ethical Fields / Regen Farmers Mutual

- Ash Knop, Cassinia Environmental

At this concluding event, the project partners will present their key findings and recommendations from the year-long collaboration. They will be joined by presentations from two pieces of complementary research, funded by the McLeod Family Foundation and conducted in collaboration with Sustain: the Australian Food Network.

Urban agriculture - the growing of food in urban and peri-urban areas - is as old as the first world’s first cities.

In early 2022 Sustain worked with Agriculture Victoria to conduct a first-ever mapping and survey of the urban agriculture sector in Victoria.

What did we learn? Urban agriculture is always about much more than growing veggies. Now more than ever, urban farmers in all their diversity can play an important role in helping governments and communities meet the challenges of climate change, wellbeing, and food security.

Presented by Drs Nick Rose and Kelly Donati, this William Angliss Institute Research Seminar series presents the findings and Sustain's roadmap for urban agriculture in Victoria to launch our 2nd national Urban Agriculture Month.

Patrick Turnbull, co-founder of Farm Raiser, will share a unique urban agriculture partnership with the Waratah Special Development School in Melbourne’s north. This inspiring story is a lesson in what is possible when passionate urban farmers and schools join forces to nurture a more inclusive (and delicious!) community.

We will enjoy a tour of the unique William Angliss Rain Garden featuring native medicinal and culinary plants in the heart of the city. The presentations will be followed by canapes and beverages on the deck of the Angliss Restaurant, featuring seasonal produce from Farm Raiser's very own urban farm.

Because we love food but hate waste, bookings are essential so we can cater appropriately.

This free event is made possible by the generous support of the William Angliss Institute Faculty of Higher Education. The Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation provided support the editing and design of the final report.

Co-hosted by Sustain: The Australian Food Network and City of Sydney, the Sydney Urban Agriculture Forum held on Fri 11 Nov is the centrepiece of the 2nd national Urban Agriculture Month. This Forum will be a celebration of the fantastic work underway across Sydney to strengthen the city's food system in face of mounting and serious challenges.

It will also be a deep dive into some of the policy and practice responses to those challenges, at the global, national, state and local levels.

The Forum will be held at Sydney City Farm, in collaboration with Sustain: The Australian Food Network and City of Sydney, as part of a nationwide program of events to highlight the critical role that urban agriculture plays in dealing with health and wellbeing, sustainability, climate change, and food security issue.

MC: Costa Georgiadis (ABCTV's Gardening Australia, Costa's World and Sustain ambassador.

Guest speakers include : Alex Greenwich MP, Lauren and Belinda from Sydney City Farm, Councillor (Waskam) Emelda Davis from City of Sydney, Dr. Nick Rose from Sustain: The Australian Food Network, with more to be announced.

The day will start off at 9.15am with a tour of the farm. And offical proceedings commence at 10am. Morning tea & lunch will be provided.

Sustain: The Australian Food Network is hosting our third signature event for this year's Urban Agriculture Month in Canberra. This Urban Agriculture Forum: Churchill Fellows Speak with Senator David Pocock at the Endeavour Centre on 7 December will discuss the importance of urban agriculture and edible town, cities and suburbs. We feel strongly this is a movement whose time has come.