Slow Food

Terra Madre (Earth Mother) is an event run by Slow Food. An international organisation devoted to promoting good, clean and fair food. Terra Madre brings together producers, chefs, students, and academics from around the world to discuss these issues. It aims to provide a counter-point to the Fast Food culture.
Overall the event was amazing. There were representatives (7000 in total) from 153 different countries (there were only a handful that weren't here) and the event was run UN style with everybody wearing headsets and speakers being translated into 8 different languages. It was held in a huge venue and there were many representatives that had set up stalls in the central room to sell products from their country and many people were wearing traditional costume. We wondered what we as Australians should be wearing... Perhaps Drizabone coats and hats?
In attending workshops we quickly realised that all the challenges we face in Australia are mirrored in every part of the world. There may be individual nuances, but it was a real eye opener to see how much similarity there was. A sense of global solidarity grew in me. Similarly it was interesting to hear that there wasn't too much new under the sun and that all around the world we are working on similar solutions. I guess the main difference being that in Australia we have easy access to information and so these ideas are readily available to us. Perhaps people from other countries may have been hearing of the solutions/interventions being tried out in various countries for the first time.
For many of us the workshops were quite disappointing. The topics were very interesting, however in reality the speakers rarely stayed on topic and the moderators did nothing to address this, and in fact waded in by providing long winded personal opinions... there were many people moving between workshops to try and find one that they was going to be productive as a result.
Some cultural observations: ministers, officials, NGO leaders, almost anyone that would be considered 'important and expert' had very little of practical interest to say. Preferring to talk to fluff their feathers.
Italian speakers are incredibly waffly and never stick to the topic being discussed.
Producers/farmers from around the world talk about the practical side of things, although some are more to the point and articulate than others.
People from African countries quite understandably use the forum as a way to vocalise the very difficult situation many of them are in. Unfortunately as this was rarely on topic, their comments were rarely addressed by the next speaker and I was left feeling a bit sad and miffed with the event for not being able to address real issues and to utilise the collective expertise.
The most inspiring talk and workshop i attended was by the US youth. Youth is a new category at Terra Madre this year and is aimed at including the next generation into the conversation. At the opening ceremony, Sam a 14 year old, told us of how he and his mates established a great school food garden that is incorporated into the curriculum and the canteen and is now being asked to help in setting them up far afield. later on a workshop that covered practical ways in addressing the difficulty for new farmers to access land and to get internships on farms was very interesting and practical. Great counterpoint to the waffly older 'important and knowledgable' speakers previously mentioned!
The best thing about the event however was the opportunity to network with other people and make personal connections. In particular for me i will get in touch with the young americans that are doing some great things in the States.
There are projects all over the place there that connect people together in innovative ways and act against the things we dislike about the current depersonalised, commodified culture.
Australia looks set to really mushroom on similar projects, so it's great to see how they have done it before so the wheel isn't being reinvented. I think a trip to the States is the next step. hee hee.
Presidia
The event was incredibly colourful with many people connecting with many others. In particular Slow Food helps artisanal producers maintain their traditional products. in one hall was about 200 tradtional producers with the most amazing foods. And of course we got to sample many of the delights. You'll have to come to experience it, but i'll just leave you with a high light which was a sausage made from a pig that is covered by curly wool and really looks like a sheep-pigù1
Salone del Gusto
This was even bigger and was open to the public. Imagine an olympic sized hall with literally one thousand stalls selling and displaying their produce from all over the world, but particularly Italy. You can imagine the popular stalls with people hovering around the ones giving out samples. We felt like pigeons picking up morsels here and there.

Things to consider when buying food

I came across an interesting article about things to consider when buying food which I've extracted from and added to for this week's blog:
Is it local?
According to studies, if all food was consumed within 20km of where it was produced, costs associated with congestion and transport would be cut by 90%. If it hasn't travelled, as far it hasn't created as much greenhouse gases and is more likely to be fresh and nutritious. And of course you are supporting local business.
Is it in-season?
Food that is in-season, does not need to be packaged and refrigerated to the same degree to be appealing and tasty. As many of you have noticed, fresh and in-season produce lasts longer and so you are throwing out a lot less. It also uses less resources to consume produce that is in-season.
Is it highly packaged?
Because today's packaging is tomorrow's landfill, buying produce without all the layers is good for future generations and reduces the need for ugly tips.
Is it highly processed?
Highly processed or refined foods tend to use more energy and water in their production. Fresh, tasty produce retains more of the nutrition and doesn't require as much processing to be delicious!
Is it organic?
Organic farming focuses on the health of the soil and uses natural production methods rather than relying on synthetic chemicals. The upshot is that organic farms tend to be gentle on our native wildlife and produce less greenhouse pollution.
Food labelled "Certified Australian Organic" also means it is free of genetically modified organisms, and farm animals have been treated according to the strictest welfare standards.

Organics in Hong Kong pt.2

A few days after my visit to Apple and Jo's farm, I headed out to Produce Green which is an NGO that runs an organic farm, education centre and allotment system. Doris (left), who I met at the Hong Kong Flower Show, kindly took me out to her allotment and showed me around.
People in Hong Kong lease a patch of ground (Doris' two square metres costs $300/year) in which they can grow organic vegetables. Produce green provides them with tools, fertilisers, mentors, and watering for when you are not there. Seeds and seedlings are also for sale.
The really nice thing I noticed was how people knew each other - socialising and giving each other a hand. The "weekend" farmers would often bring their family and friends around and it would be a fun and educational day for all.
The picture (right) shows about 60 allotments!
Speaking with Doris and the resident farmer at Produce Green, I was impressed by the similarities between Australia and Hong Kong (air quality aside!).
People have the same concerns about food, health and the environment - there was talk of carbon footprinting, certification and stress... Farmers also work hard on crop rotation, getting good materials for organic composting, green manures and educating conventional customers into the world of organic produce.

For some reason I thought that things might be different, and although there may only be 70 organic farms in Hong Kong, the level of awareness is high and growing.

Organics in Hong Kong

An important family event in Hong Kong has given me the chance to have a bit of time out and investigate organics in another setting.

In a place as polluted as Hong Kong (I haven't seen a blue sky once in the time i've been here, let alone the sun!), organics is gaining popularity quite quickly, and not just amongst the expatriate community.

There are around 70 organic farms in Hong Kong (mostly in the New Territories) and several organic farmers markets.

I was very pleased to be able to visit Apple Tsang, Jo and Allison (pic to come) at their farm Organic Soil. They showed us around and we were very impressed by the quality and quantity of the produce.

Interesting things we learnt were that:

• Organic farming is well supported by the government through an NGO that provides education, training and subsidies for infrastructure and seedlings.
• Organic food from mainland China is treated with caution.
• Animals are not encouraged on organic farms.
• The main inputs are vegetable scrap compost, blood and bone, lime, and crushed peanut shell.
• The soil is low in organics, but neutral pH, so grows lots of food.
• Winter is the main tomato growing season!
  
• Farmers in HK face the same financial difficulties that Australian farmers do.

Tomorrow I'm off to another property which is run on an allotment system. People from inner Hong Kong travel out to their rented path and tend their vegies.

On a side note: apparently the chinese are taking steps to reduce pollution because it has gotten so bad that it is affecting business... in that it is getting harder to recruit staff from OS because of the abysmal air quality.

What and Why Biodynamics?

Biodynamics is not a simple thing to explain, but it is essentially a method of organic agriculture based on the work of Rudolph Steiner and has three key elements:

1. the farm is run as a sustainable ecosystem in itself
2. the use of biodynamic preparations which enhance the life forces on the farm
3. the importance of the soil, sun, moon, planets and constellations on living organisms

Some aspects of biodynamics may seem a bit far out, but I was convinced that I wanted to farm biodynamically when I visited some BD farms in the Hunter. You know when you visit some places and they have a special feel about them? Well the farms I visited had that special feel. And much like the inspiration I found in the mandala garden design, I thought to myself that if I were to farm, that I would like to create a farm that evoked a special feeling in those who visited. (And for those who work there!)

So that was that... I had the land, the opportunity and now I had the design concept and the agricultural practices. So in August 2006, I moved from Sydney to Imago Forest and started to mark out the beds and get the chooks into their domes!

We're very lucky in the Hunter to have one of the strongest BD groups in Australia (Hunter BD) and I would like to thank them for their support and help (especially Mark and Kate from Purple Pear Organics in Maitland).

For more information you can go to wikipedia or try the Biodynamic Association:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_agriculture
http://www.biodynamics.net.au/what_is_biodynamics.htm

Why Mandalas?

Having decided that I wanted to start a small organic farm, I had to work out how I was going to design it... no straight rows for me!

I'd toyed with ideas of having a large chook pen in the centre of concentric rows of beds. These would be divided into four so that the chickens could have access to each quarter, each season. This seemed interesting, but impractical.

Fortunately I remembered a book, "The Permaculture Home Garden" by Linda Woodrow in which she fully describes a mandala system. Re-reading it I was hooked.

I loved the way she integrated chickens, vegies, fruit, flowers and water into one very efficient and beautiful design.

I thought to myself, if I'm going to spend my days working on a farm, then this is the sort of farm I want to work in.

Besides being full of circles, and therefore interest and mystery, the main feature of the design is that it ensures that the wastes from one area of the garden becomes the food for another part. Not only that, but that they are right next to each other so there isn't much carting around of heavy items.

The other attraction to the design was that in full swing it should be able to feed at least 20 people, all their fruit, veg and eggs for the entire year!

Why I started Imago Forest

People sometimes ask me how I got into market gardening... Well, I started Imago Forest with the intention to demonstrate that even in today's climate, small-scale organic farming can be financially viable, environmentally friendly and socially rewarding .

This desire came about after working with the market gardeners on the urban fringe of Sydney and organic farmers in the Hunter region and seeing serious challenges for both groups.

The market gardeners in Sydney are often successful financially, however they do not use organic or sustainable agricultural practices. While many of the organic farmers are environmentally sustainable, they are often financially stressed. Both groups work extraordinarily long and hard hours.

My goal is to try and combine the best practices of each of these groups into a workable whole! Besides, who wouldn't want to live somewhere with views like in the photo. : )