Global Perspectives, Local Impact: Churchill Fellows in Urban Agriculture

Since 1965 about 3,500 Australians are have been awarded a Churchill Fellowship, supporting an overseas exploration to learn about significant innovations in diverse spheres of social life, and bring back lessons that may be of wider benefit to the Australian community.

In this webinar, setting the scene for a week of exploration through the Urban Agriculture Forum, we will hear from 4 Churchill Fellows - two who have completed their trips, and two who face the new uncertainty and constraints of overseas travel in 2021.

Reflecting on their completed Fellowships - we will hear from Nick Rose, whose study explored models of urban agriculture that could generate livelihood opportunities, especially for young people; and/or enhance food security for vulnerable and low-income groups; and David Mason, who research sought to identify how sustainable urban agriculture can benefit the quality of life of Australian urban communities

Speaking on their proposed research and the creative and adaptive learnings when a global pandemic leaves you home-bound, we will hear from Naomi Lacey, who seeks to study peak community garden bodies to continue the development of our national organisation, Gavin Hardy who will explore the potential of community food forests and orchards, and Fiona Buining who will investigate urban farm ventures that provide vocational pathways for aspiring food growers

This is the first evening webinar supporting the Urban Agriculture Forum, providing more opportunities to connect, grow and share. Purchasing a 3-day pass to the Urban Agriculture Forum gives you free access to all three evening webinars!

Registrations close at 5PM AEDT on April 18th.

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

A study of innovative models of urban agriculture in the US
Midwest, Toronto and Argentina, 2013

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 food systems, food policy and governance and food movements for William Angliss Institute in their Bachelor of Food Studies and Master of Food Systems and Gastronomy.

Read more about Nick's Churchill Fellowship here.

Naomi Lacey - President, 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.

Read more about Naomi's Churchill Fellowship here.

Gavin Hardy - Queensland coordinator, Community Gardens Australia

Gavin Hardy is a community food advocate, permaculture educator and registered landscape architect. For 25 plus years he has designed biodiverse landscapes, planted hundreds of trees, grown food in his backyard, created food-scapes and garden sanctuaries and devised boulevard planting schemes. In 2020, Gavin was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to travel overseas and investigate the potential of community food forests and orchards. Gavin is a proud professional member of Permaculture Australia, Renew Australia and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.

Read more about Gavin's Churchill Fellowship here.

David Mason - Retired Multifunctional agriculture consultant

David's extensive career in agriculture which began in 1966 included time as a jackaroo, assistant manager of two commercial farms, rural youth supervisor, manager of Orange, Trangie, and Yanco Agricultural Research Centres and Cronulla Fisheries Research Institute, manager of a land development and settlement project in Sri Lanka, and statewide extension administration.

David's work set's out to ensure that urban (incl. peri-urban) agriculture is accorded the opportunity to optimize its contribution to food security in the context of increasing climate and economic variability and uncertainty and the diminishing capacity of modern agriculture to meet the food requirements of a 70 million yearly increase in population for the next 40 years at least.

Read more about David's Churchill Fellowship here.

Fiona Buining

Fiona Buining is passionate about growing plants, especially food plants, and is inspired to create pathways for future food growers in urban areas. She has grown vegetables wherever she has lived. Working with teenagers as a teacher she has seen first-hand the physical and mental health benefits of learning to grow food. As a grower she has observed an unmet demand for locally grown fresh food. Her question was: how do you become an urban grower in Australia? Fiona managed the Merici College Kitchen Garden from 2012-2019, a teaching garden that grows seasonal vegetables using organic growing methods to supply the school canteen and restaurant. Her work was recognised when Merici won the ACT Keep Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities Award in 2012 and the ACTsmart Schools Sustainable School of the Year in 2019. Fiona was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2020 to investigate urban farm ventures that provide vocational pathways for aspiring food growers. Fiona believes that growing good food is one of the most positive actions people can do for their own health and to heal the planet.

Read more about Fiona's Churchill Fellowship here.

The 2021 Urban Agriculture Forum:

Care Farming & Gardening in the Climate Emergency

April 22rd to 24th, 2021

The Urban Agriculture Forum (UAF) is a bi-annual event that will be held online. The 3rd National UAF will be held on Thursday April 22nd, Friday April 23rd and Saturday April 24th, 2021. The forum attracts over 200 policy makers, practitioners, innovators and institutions in the urban agriculture sector.

You’re invited to join us as we explore the growing urban agriculture initiatives in Australia and beyond and the positive impacts it has on our community’s health and wellbeing.

Please get in touch with us via uaf@sustainaustralia.org for more information on how you can get involved.

Find out more:

This event is organised by Sustain.

About Sustain: The Australian Food Network

Sustain is a national food systems think and do network that co-designs and co-builds better food systems. We work collaboratively with stakeholders across government, community and business towards the transition to a food system that works for all Australians and supports flourishing communities and ecosystems.

Sustain was formed in 2015 and is based in Melbourne, with members and partners in all states and territories. Sustain’s leadership and impact is demonstrated with the multiple achievements of the ground-breaking collective impact projects Cardinia Food Circles (2016-present) and the Melbourne Food Hub (2018-present), as well as its coordination of two national Urban Agriculture Forums (2016, 2018) and an inaugural Australian Community Food Hubs conference and speaking tour (2016).