Participants work on the Indigenous Australian and urban agriculture project known as Moodji Farm, located at Bermagui Preschool. Photo: Bermagui Preschool Facebook.
A two-hour workshop in Bermagui will discuss how gardens and farms would benefit by preparing for diverse seasons and events.
Join Sustainable Agriculture & Gardening Eurobodalla (SAGE) co-founder Fraser Bayley and Moodji Farm manager Dan Bakker to explore strategies that promote resilient productive environments as Australia moves into an increasingly uncertain climate.
Dan says growers will have to adapt to erratic weather due to the effects of climate change. For example, during the past 18 months Bega Valley has seen drought, heavy rainfall periods and inconsistent wind patterns.
Also, two winters ago, while the region was in drought, there was intense wind, which dried out the soil further.
In response, Dan grew wind breaks at Moodji Farm to protect his project, but then in the winter of 2020 there was “no wind at all”.
“Bringing diversity to your strategies is key,” he says.
“We have to get into the new normal of an incapacity to predict. That means we have to come up with multiple strategies to make communities more resilient.”
Such strategies include building wind breaks, building biomass into soil, and attracting birds, bees and butterflies with methods such as verge gardens to create expansive ecosystems.
Dan says diversity is the key word, and part of the solution is bringing growers together to build stronger relationships.
“The future we need is dependent on everyone contributing,” he says.
SAGE Moruya co-founder Fraser Bayley will present the Growing for Change workshop on Saturday, 17 April. Photo: Supplied.
Whether you are a backyard gardener or a serious grower, Fraser will present a range of models at the workshop to employ in your patch.
Participants will explore how to look at their garden, neighbourhood or market garden through different eyes.
They will also drill down into soil structure, composting systems, irrigation and plant selection, as well as building biomass and diversity in their garden ecology.
The Growing for Change workshop will be held on Saturday, 17 April, starting at 10:00 am with a 30-minute tour of Moodji Farm with Dan before the workshop commences at 10:30 am.
Moodji Farm is located at Bermagui Preschool on Young Street in Bermagui. Entry to the workshop is by donation. For more details, email [email protected].
The workshop is supported by a NSW Government Increasing Resilience to Climate Change community grant.
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