Pandemic Gardening: A Wish for Tomorrow

Findings from the National Survey.

In this month’s webinar, we are excited to present our findings from the recently-completed Pandemic Gardening Survey. The national survey was conducted in the hopes of understanding how COVID-19 and its restrictions have impacted people's attitudes and actions towards growing their own food.

With generous responses from over 9,000 Australians, the results will now be put toward advocating government and the philanthropic sector for greater resourcing and support for edible food growing, as well as elevating the prominence of urban agriculture in Australia.

Join us to learn more about what the future of edible food growing could look like.

Dr. Nick Rose - Sustain: The Australian Food Network

Nick has been the Executive Director of Sustain since its establishment in January 2016. With a background in law and community development, Nick brings more than a decade of working at the grassroots and institutional level in several Australian states in food sovereignty and sustainable food systems.

He is the editor of Fair Food: Stories from a Movement Changing the World (2015) and the co-editor of Reclaiming the Urban Commons: The past, present and future of food growing in Australian towns and cities (2018). Nick is also a lecturer in the Bachelor of Food Studies and Master of Food Systems and Gastronomy at William Angliss Institute.

Sustain

Sustain works for the transition to a food system that supports flourishing communities, individuals and ecosystems. Sustain’s mission is to catalyse meaningful and powerful connections to enable the emergence of a flourishing and healthy food system, realised through food systems events, research, network-building and consultancy services.

Dr. Kelly Donati - Sustain: The Australian Food Network; William Angliss Institute

Kelly developed and lectures in Australia’s first Bachelor of Food Studies and Master of Food Systems and Gastronomy in the Faculty of Higher Education at William Angliss Institute. Her doctoral research developed the concept of multispecies gastronomy, which explores the convivial and lively co-productive collaborations between humans and nonhumans in small-scale farming practice. She has published widely in the areas of multispecies gastronomy, community gardens, farmers markets, the politics of Slow Food and the development of food studies pedagogy. She is also the Chair of the Board at Sustain.

William Angliss Institute

William Angliss Institute is the specialist training provider for the foods, tourism, hospitality, events and hospitality management industries, delivering a range of courses within Australia and internationally.

Naomi Lacey - Community Gardens Australia

Naomi is a permaculturalist who is passionate about promoting healthy food systems, sustainable lifestyles and cultivating community. She helped to establish the first community garden in the satellite city of Palmerston in Darwin and is currently the President of the Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network.

Naomi believes that community gardens provide valuable spaces in which to cultivate sustainable lifestyles and healthy food systems in our cities. They are also a wonderful way of bringing people together to share, learn, grow and enjoy the many benefits of growing their own food.

Community Gardens Australia

Community Gardens Australia envisions enriching, nourishing, accessible and resilient community gardens for all Australians. We seek to build community and improve the health and wellbeing of Australians through community gardening activities and to ensure a more liveable future for us all. We do this by facilitating the formation and management of community gardens by providing: Resources; Education & training; Networking opportunities; Funding advice and; Advocacy. We also promote the benefits of community gardening and urban agriculture to the wider community and provide an online directory of gardens accessible to the public.

Costa Georgiadis - ABC's Gardening Australia

Costa has been the host of Gardening Australia, the ABC’s iconic gardening show, since 2012, when he became only the third host in 23 years. A landscape architect who has an all-consuming passion for plants and people, and takes great pleasure in bringing them together.

Food and food security are two areas where Costa aligns his skills with landscape design to the very future of our cities. He is involved with regenerative agriculture and the holistic practices that are being developed to deal with the issues of a rapidly urbanising world.

About The Future of Food Systems: Transition & Recovery Series.

In the face of extraordinary challenges and hardships, Australia's food systems organisations have rallied in 2020. While restrictions ease, we know we will never return to where we once were - nor do we want to. Since our establishment in January 2016, we have said that so much of how we manage our landscapes and feed our communities is unjust and unsustainable. The major challenge we face going forward is how to keep the momentum up, grab the increased interest in sustainable and resilient food systems with both hands and transition in such an unstable context. The 'Transition & Recovery' Series will bring together food systems experts to discuss how we can work collaboratively to achieve these goals.

About the Pandemic Gardening Survey:

The Pandemic Gardening Survey is an initiative led by the Urban Agriculture Forum and Sustain.

The Urban Agriculture Forum Steering Committee includes: Sustain, Community Gardens Australia, Sustainable Gardening Australia, 3000 acres, Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, Yerrabingin, Pocket City Farms.

Our Events:

Sustain is proud to host interactive events - we welcome you to introduce yourself and what you do at the start of each webinar and will ensure you have time to ask questions at the end. If you have a question you can't wait to ask, or a particular area of interest please send it to georgia@sustainaustralia.org in advance.

Please note webinars will be held over Zoom and will be recorded, so please ensure your settings reflect what you are comfortable with.

Sustain members are able to attend this series for free! Click here to learn more and sign up to become a member.