A food forest for the community by the community

The challenge

“My friend Arthur and I really enjoyed being part of a Micro-Forest project in Holt and found that we had complementary interests in permaculture and food forests,” said Corey, project lead.

“We are both passionate about food security and climate action. Food forests help counter climate change by encouraging people to think about where their food is coming from and by creating sustainable food production systems.

“The Holt Micro-Forest project inspired us to transform our ideas into reality by developing a food forest in an adjacent plot.

“We set out to not only build a food forest but also to document the process so that it could be used as a template for other community groups seeking to make one for themselves.

The action

“We decided that a good avenue for funding would be to apply for a Community Garden Grant.

“The application called for a high level of detail, but in the end that helped us to make a clear plan of how we were going to get the project done.

“The application included a project plan, which helped us identify key milestones, and a budget, for which we had to research and get quotes from suppliers.

“Prior to submitting the application, we had to organise a public land use permit, which sounded daunting but we were able to work through it, starting with an online form on the TCCS website.

“We also needed to find an organisation to sponsor our application. We approached Capital Region Community Services who were more than happy to back our project because it aligned so closely with their vision of an inclusive, connected community.

“Once the application was in, we knew we had a solid plan. We were really pleased to receive over $7,500 in grant funding.

“As soon as we got the grant, we invited the local community to a consultation session to gauge interest and to inform a list of desired species and a maintenance plan.

“Once we’d developed a design, it was time to get our hands dirty, do some hard yakka and turn it into reality. We engaged contractors to do the earthworks for the garden with water harvesting and paths.

“We’ve mulched the site and now we’re leaving it to sit throughout winter before planting out all the edible species in spring.

The benefit

“Our food forest will have over 100 edible species, showcasing the variety of delicious foods that can be grown in our region in a sustainable way.

“The community sessions that we ran helped neighbours meet and brought the community together around a common cause.

“The grant also paid for our group to attend an introductory session to Aboriginal plant use through a local organisation, Yurbay, which was really enriching.

“I’d advise other people thinking about applying for a Community Garden Grant to not underestimate what you’re capable of. Our efforts don’t have to be world changing - you can start small and have a big impact within your locality.

“I’d like to do more work in helping grow foods sustainably, especially in urban environments and I’m looking forward to the day when I can wander down to the park and enjoy the Holt Food Forest’s fresh produce with my community.”