Life, sustainability and everything
Organic, local, natural, free range, hormone free? It’s all very confusing, so how exactly do we source fresh, sustainable food?
Sustainability is becoming very important to modern farming. Terms like food miles, food security, and of course the ever-present problem of wastage mean that, in the modern world, we need to think smarter about the way we grow and source the foods we eat.
Our roving interviewer, Marilyn Simpson, talked to Graham Brookman, a member of the Gawler Regional Natural Resource Centre (NRC) and the proprietor of The Food Forest, Gawler’s own permaculture farm and learning centre, to find out more about sustainability and natural living.
Graham and his family have shown how an ordinary small farm (just 15 hectares) can be used to grow an abundance of food and to create a diverse and sustainable landscape. The Food Forest is yet another local success story that demonstrates in practical ways how we can all develop sustainable practices in our own gardening ventures – large or small.
To Graham, sustainability is crucial because “we are gradually chomping up those natural parts of the planet”, and we need to get better at making the most out of what we have.
In this wide ranging interview, Marilyn and Graham talk about everything from 4-year-old Graham’s first farming forays selling vegetables to unfortunate relatives, to the way organic and sustainable farms are developed, about guerrilla gardening, garden sharing, community gardens, supermarkets and farmers’ markets, eating local, and more.
Click below to hear Marilyn and Graham’s discussion, and you can find out more about the Gawler Regional NRC here, and much more about the fabulous Food Forest here.
Why not check them out and see how you can improve the sustainability of your own garden!
