Food is free | Growing fruit and vegies | Gardening Australia
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- Food insecurity is a phrase often applied to developing countries, but it’s easy to forget that there are people within our own communities that may not be able to readily access and experience fresh, healthy, organic food for a variety of reasons. For backyard vegie growers, the problem is often the opposite - how can we sustainably manage excess produce and engage with our community? It can be as simple as sharing - gardeners providing their produce for free to those that need it most.
It was this philosophy that led Lou Ridsdale to found the Ballarat “Food is Free” Laneway in 2014 - initially just a table or two with Lou's excess produce and a couple of painted planters popped out in the laneway adjacent to her place. Lou and her mates had a BBQ and a yarn, erected the now well-loved #FOODISFREE sign in the Laneway, and hoped the community would engage and take the produce that they might need. And, slowly, they did.
Lou explains that the real turning point came about three weeks into the life of the laneway when someone left some Italian Parsley, with a note attached saying “I thought you might need this”. “And that was it” says Lou “I was hooked, and I knew it had legs”. In a classic case of “from little things big things grow”, the #FOODISFREE Laneway gained momentum, with people taking and leaving produce without expectation. The Laneway now boasts at least 100 visitors each day - taking the fresh fruit, vegies and herbs that they require, leaving their excess and exchanging seeds, jars, cuttings, pots, and, most importantly conversation.
“There is always someone up for a yarn in the Laneway, and the engagement with community has been tremendous. Neighbours are sharing a cuppa, conversation, gardening tips - to see strangers engage with each other and form a meaningful connection is a real joy, and so positive for Ballarat” says Lou.
Fast forward five years, and Food is Free Ballarat has expanded into an unused corner of the local park, thanks to the generosity of the local council. The Food Is Free Green Space opened in March 2018, with a team of volunteers transforming an unused section of oval into a thriving community green hub - complete with citrus orchard, 20 raised beds growing amazing produce all year round, companion and insectary plants.
Lou explains that the Green Space is “an all-inclusive space where at-risk and marginalized community groups are growing their own herbs and vegies for them to eat - any excess to their needs goes straight to the Laneway for sharing. And that’s one of the things I think is so great about the FIF Green Space -by providing people in crisis with some knowledge and a garden bed they can grow their own produce - people are engaged and empowered, often for the first time”.
That’s the key to this site - giving at risk individuals access to fresh, seasonal produce and the knowledge to grow their own.
They have loads of compost they are generating at the FIF Green Space which some of their 40 volunteers watches over. In addition to organic matter generated from the Green Space, they receive around 30 kilos of green waste a day dropped off at the Green Space by the Ballarat community which they compost or add to the bathtub worm farm which Costa installed at the site 12 months ago!
Lou explains that the future of the #FoodIsFree Ballarat Green Space site is bright, with funding secured and plans underway for an outdoor classroom. “We truly are nourishing the soul and the stomach”.
What advice would Lou Ridsdale give to anyone wanting to start a #FoodIsFree movement in their own community: “Just do it - make a #foodisfree sign, whack a zucchini on you letterbox, and see what happens! Engage with your neighbours, pop some tables or baskets on the footpath with excess produce and share food and hope! It’s all about making fresh food accessible for others, and the Australian movement is gaining momentum - there are 30 or 40 groups already, and loads of resources available to help communities start their own”.
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What a beautiful and selfless thing to do. Your Mum would be proud of you Lou. You're an inspiration.
What a wonderful idea and a wonderful lady behind it all. I wish there were more ppl well would bring back that old aussie spirit. I really wish there was something like that every where. And what a very special lady to buy the house so that this idea could grow. We are still the lucky country still I many ways. Thank you for sharing this.
I love this story! Wish I lived closer - I'm in Melbourne and had such a bumper crop of zucchini to share this summer, and now I'm getting so many chokos I'm leaving bags of them on neighbours doorsteps, ringing the bell and running away!😀
Love it. and how good was it that the local business woman bought the house so she could help her keep doing what she was doing. brilliant.
Beautiful town of Ballarat, interesting and inspirational food project to get community members together.
Awesome. Thanks for covering this Costa. Love watching things like this. Gives me hope that kindness still exists in the community. Keep up the great work. Love your videos
Unbelievable! In our days we have such a great community! Well done people! I like that you even share seeds and seedlings, I would definitely share it too but I live in Melbourne, we don't have such community! That's why smaller towns are better!
Everyone should be learning how to garden while there are food shortages. It's so empowering to grow your own food and a lot healthier too. We need to turn back time in this respect and live more like our grandparents did. We are too reliant on grocery stores and many will go without when times get bad.
Well explained.
My late Dad grew up on an orchard /market garden in Horsham. he used to tell us how they were pretty much self sufficient in almost everything they needed except for a few items they didnt produce on their property, even having all their own animals for meat etc as well. my Grandmother even grew her own hops to make a special non alcoholic beer she brewed as well.
What a wonderful lady.
watching from Philippines 👍
This is only one of the reasons why I LOVE Australia. Some things only happen there. Miss it badly.
Amazing. This makes me happy. ❤️
Watching from sydney.I just love gardening.Passion for nature.💕
I want to start a similar thing in my community 🙋♂️ I think all communities should have someone like you❤
awesome!!!
Amazing community. Should be listed in the Guinness book 📚
I love the fact that it helps the environments back to healthy but also make people to realize how important it is to keep vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains non meat products as our daily diet. Salute ladies. Keep up with the good Samaritan.
From animal lover, vegan and love nature.
❤️❤️❤️ fantastic kit
There's still a lot of people that has such amazing beautiful heart
Imagine even the new buyer what she did
Thanks for bringing this to see 👍👍
Great idea 👍
Wow amazing
watching from vietnam, I love it
Love this idea 💡 👏
Wow what a beautiful segment of your show. Thank you for sharing.
Heart warming story.
What a great idea
What you plant is what you get. You deserve to be helped Ridsdale!
Incredible
Amazing !
So inspiring...hope we will have more of this everywhere💚🙏
amazing work with lots of love to it❤
Brilliant!!!!! There should be one in every town!
amazing!!
I am so inspired
Thank you so much for covering this gorgeous lady ! I haven't gotten this story from my mind since fir at seeing her, and I'm hoping once I finish my house build to do something similar on my island ! I would love to connect with this gorgeous lady to find out more !
What a brilliant idea. I might see if we can do something like that down here in Tassie. Thank you for sharing this :)
inspiring implementation of anarchist/communist living. good reminder people aren't inherently greedy but actually want to work together and help each other.
communist? are you for real?
I would have said communal or co-operative myself
Sigh, actually its the opposite of communism, this is capitalism at work. Where people get to a wealth stage that they become free to spend time and energy on things OTHER than just surviving. This is a great example of such an event. It's why in most of the western world forests are being replanted, and the environment in those countries are improving because people have the spare energy and time to invest in those things.
When the GFC hit, the hardest-hit countries actual environment very quickly degraded, in some parts of Greece whole forests were wiped out because people needed the world to get by.
No communist country in the world has even come anywhere near close enough to this level.
this is wonderful!
Isn’t it just! 😍
What a beautiful thing to do, amazing thought. 🥬🍇🥦🥕🌽
Ballarat's "food is free" is a gate way to larger solution -- resilient community with zero emission world after the pandemic, you may need to learn David Holmgren's talk about new economy , his permaculture site in Hepburn is just 50km away from Ballarat.
I just love 💗 this
❤️
Wow this is amazing :) I am studying teaching and something like this, especially in conjunction with a free breakfast club or home ec classes, is my dream to help begin at any school I teach at in the future to help ensure students are eating good food, are aware of how to cook and ultimately are learning better because of access to food and increasing their food security. Studying to be a HASS (aka S&E or SOSE) teacher means I can incorporate this into lessons in my own classes too when doing geography and discussing climates and sustainability :) Thanks for the extra inspo !
Wow wow big surprise for me , i like ds video, this was great helpful for who really in need of it. u guys r great 👌👌👌👍
Wow I wish I could do it too💚💚
Watching from Italy 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹
This is an amazingly beautiful idea, hopefully someday this kind of initiative will be seen everywhere. I also hope not to be misunderstood, but I believe that the bird that appears in a cage would love to be free as well...
I love it 👍👍❤
🥰🥰🥰
Nice idea, hope everyone else picks fairly
Everyone's idea of 'fair' is different. I'd rather hope the hungry, the needy, the elderly & disadvantaged are able to eat than be concerned that the wealthy got yet *another* 'fair share'. Importantly, no food should go to waste.
Good
The 3 dislikes are from Bendigo?! 😆
What's thoughts on giving out "out of date" or past "best before" food in a food library cupboard?
For example: non perishable items
Has Dr. BLAKE EVER DROPPED BY FOR SOME PRODUCE.😆
Does anyone know of other laneways doing same or similar to this?
I'm currently doing the same and am interested in other ideas for a Laneway
Thanks.