Growing Abundance

Growing Abundance aims to reduce carbon emissions by relocalising the production & consumption of  food

The abundance of falling fruit has ensured the workload of this exciting project has indeed been abundant – and shared. Over 80 people donated fruit, volunteered to harvest, bottle or distribute fruit, participated in working groups or, contributed their expertise to this project.

Click on these links  to read more about:

• the Castlemaine Abundance Kitchen Enterprise (CAKE)
  
• the Harvest Group
• Food for Thought Films and Talks
  
• the Local Produce Guide

Support Local Growers and learn about Pest and Disease Management

Working Together to Grow Healthy Fruit

Mount Alexander Shire has a strong local fruit industry as well as many backyard trees.  We enjoy access to fresh and high quality fruit in season as well as a healthy local economy. With this enjoyment comes a responsibility to care for the trees that feed us and to learn how to manage pests and disease that can carry a significant threat to fruit production. Climate change means pests such as Fruit Fly now threaten our local crops and have the potential to cause devastation for both commercial and backyard growers.

Harcourt Fruit Growers Association, Growing Abundance and the Mount Alexander Shire Council are working together to help protect and improve the fruit industry, backyard growers and the future of our food security.

We recently held a series of workshops covering:

•  Fruit fly and other common pests like codling moth, pear and cherry slug  and aphids
•   How to avoid the common fungal diseases like curly leaf and brownrot
•   Discouraging birds.

If you missed the workshops, check out this fantastic resource to help you prevent, detect and treat Fruit Fly: http://preventfruitfly.com.au

Print off this two-page leaflet on Natural Pest Control in your Backyard and learn how to deal with a range of pests that threaten our harvest. You can also download a PDF copy of the presentation here.

Or watch our presentation below

There has been a great deal of media interest in the Growing Abundance Project

• Project leaders Lucy Young and Sas Allardice were interviewed on ABC Radio’s Bush Telegraph on 22 Feb. 2011.  It was a great introduction to the project and to encourage other communities to take up our ideas!
• Jane Curtis from ABC Bendigo came harvesting and recorded it  in pics and vimeo
• The Age  Epicure supplement reported on the Local Produce Guide and the work of the Harvest Group.
• The Castlemaine Mail and the online Castlemaine Independent have reported our activities regularly.

If you want to know more about Growing Abundance, contact lucy@cch.org.au or watch this web page for updates!

In 2012 we aim to have more information about related projects.  Check out:

Growing Abundance is a project in partnership with the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group, Transition Mount Alexander, Mount Alexander Volunteer Network and the Mount Alexander Shire Council. The project seeks to connect people through food. The project draws on the work of the international Transition Towns movement which has successfully developed a range of community partnerships to increase local food production and create local abundance. Growing Abundance is run through the Castlemaine Community House, and was supported by the Victorian Government through Sustainability Victoria.