To cut a short story even shorter, Amie Hope is a volunteer case manager for Canberra's Karen refugee group, I suggested our Plan A for the growing of seasonal vegetables, she thought it would be a possibility, and the Karen group are coming to investigate the farm and possibilities, next Friday (to be confirmed).
The Karen peoples of Burma/Myanmar have suffered enormously under the brutal and self serving military regime that has been in power for decades. Catholic Care is looking after the Karen refugees that are in Canberra, and by chance I met Amie at the Food Dialogue run by the ANU and Canberra Uni.
I can see this working very well indeed. The Karen will undoubtedly be good farmers and hard workers. We will provide the land, water and infrastructure for them to grow food for their families here on our farm. If they are interested, we could develop the growing further so that the surplus is available for sale at the farmers markets seasonally. This would have many benefits to the group including: social inclusion, much English language practice, financial return, and so on.
More on this later after the meeting and farm inspection takes place. 24/9/09.
Plan B
OK, the lucrative offer below fell on deaf ears. So our vegetable growing enterprise has evolved/morphed into an Aquaponics venture. My eldest daughter Katina has a long-standing interest in growing fish, and I vegetables. So in combining our interests, Aquaponics wins hands down. That and it makes the most efficient use of water, using up to 98% less than conventional horticulture.
We are also hoping that Katina will be able to combine her interest with her tertiary studies next year (she hopes to start an Environmental Science degree at the University of Canberra). And if I get my act together (unlikely but possible), I'll apply for one of the Nuffield Scholarships to research the potential for agricultural diversification and sustainability.
I won't get into a discription of what will be involved just yet, suffice to say I suggest you google aquaponics if interested. Once our system is up and running over the summer of 2009 2010, all will be revealed at our open days.
Plan A
Seasonal Vegetables at Mountain Creek Farm? A great business opportunity for the right individual(s), couple partnership, group, et cetera.
We are seeking a person or persons to resurrect the market garden. We have the land, with good soils, lots
of animal manures, and lots of water! All very close to Canberra (20 minutes to
Weston Creek). We don't have the time to run a market garden, but would
like one on farm, so want to offer the opportunity to someone else to
grow (pun intended).
The infrastructure is all in place;
irrigation pipes, take off points and taps. We also have a large amount
of irrigation pipe, connections, filters, drippers, micro sprays and
bits and pieces. The water is gravity fed, and comes from a spring fed
dam, several megalitres in size. We still have lots of water in this
drought. Rabbit and roo fencing is almost complete with a little
maintenance required.
The site is gently sloping with a north easterly
aspect and sheltered from the westerly winds. The land area that could be put to vegetable growing may be several acres, but will most likely be limited by available labour. Soils are friable and high in organic matter, on a decomposing granite /clay base. Soils tests have been completed and mineral rebalancing has occurred. Compost tea brewers (1000 litre) are also on site and available for use.
We envisage someone growing seasonal vegies, and then taking these to the Farmers Markets, restaurants, etc. We can help with garden establishment, as we have the machinery and tools required. We can also help with business establishment if required - paperwork and so on. Hoop houses can also be arranged to extend growing periods. There is a clean caravan on site, that could be used for overnight stays during peak season. Packing sheds and coolrooms could be built as needed, we already have the materials and foundations are in place.
What do we want in return? The garden needs to
be organic/ biodynamic, we will supply the biodynamic preps (made on farm) which we
expect to be applied. We also expect the creation and maintenance of
compost heaps, but you would do that anyway. If all we receive are some downgrade
vegies as payment, that is enough.
So if you know anyone
with a passion for organic growing, that may be interested, please send
them our way. I believe this to be a great opportunty for a self
starter, as there is effectively no dollar outlay. We will need to be
assured of any applicants integrity, so a 'user friendly' selection
process will apply. This is a long term proposition with great potential and we are open to ideas and suggestions.
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