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Community Gardens Policy Directions for Marrickville Council Community Gardens Policy Directions for Marrickville Council Community Gardens Policy Directions for Marrickville Council © Russ Grayson & Marrickville Council 2007 First published in November 2007 by: Marrickville Council 2-14 Fisher Street PETERSHAM P: 02 9335 2222 F: 02 9335 2029 E: [email protected] Acknowledgements Research, writing, photographs and graphics: Russ Grayson Contributors: Community Gardeners Rob Allsop, proposed Green Fingers Communtiy Garden, Manly. Emma Daniell, Randwick Organic Community Garden coordinator. Rob Joyner, Waverley Community Garden. Vicki Joyner, Waverley Community Garden. Dr Tim Luckett, The Food Forest, Marrickville/UNSW Community Permaculture Garden. Jane Mowbray, Glovers Community Garden Coordinator, Rozelle. Mary O’Connell, Arts in the Garden coordinator/ UNSW Community Permaculture Garden. Dr Kristina Warton, UNSW Community Permaculture Garden/ Ranwick Community Organic Garden. Other community gardeners were consulted informally. Community Garden Trainers, Managers Jacqui Hunter, landscape designer and community worker, Adelaide. Mark Ludbrooke, Coordinator, Food Distribution Network, Sydney. Ben Neil, CEO Cultivating Communities, Melbourne. Local Government Helen Bradley, Senior Project Coordinator, City fo Sydney. Fiona Campbell, Sustainability Education Officer, Randwick City Council. Nell Graham, Environmental Education Officer, Marrickville Council. Helen Kemp, Bushland Officer, Waverley Council. Michael Hamilton, acting Community Facilities Coordinator, Marrickville Council. Ed McPeake, Environmental Education Manager, Manly Council. Michael Nevillle, Waste Education Coordinator, City of Sydney. Margaux Park, Waste Project Coordinator, Hurstville Council. Tanya Rajaratnam, Waste Services, Kogarah Council. Justin Sauvage, Sustainability Educator, Environmental Scientist, Sutherland Council. Richard Sage, Manager Parks & Reserves, Marrickville Council. Mandy Wilson, Bushland Officer, Willoughby Council. Contents Definitions Community garden ............................................................................................ 8 City farm .............................................................................................................. 8 Allotment garden ............................................................................................... 8 Sustainability education centre ......................................................................... 8 Summary Structure ............................................................................................................. 9 Marrickville ......................................................................................................... 10 1. Community Gardening 1.1 What it is | What it is not ......................................................................... 12 1.2 An expanded definition ........................................................................... 12 1.2.1 Characteristics .................................................................................... 13 1.3 Which community? .................................................................................. 13 1.4 What community gardens are not .......................................................... 14 2. The big picture 2.1 How community gardening relates to global trends ............................. 16 2.1.1 The return of urban agriculture & local food ........................................... 16 2.1.1.1 The local food movement ......................................................... 16 2.2 Motivators of community gardening ...................................................... 17 2.2.1 Global warming .................................................................................. 18 2.2.2 Peak oil .............................................................................................. 18 2.2.3 Developing a model of sustainability ..................................................... 18 3. Commuity gardening – a brief history 3.1 A trend reversed ....................................................................................... 20 3.2 Community gardening comes to Australia ............................................. 21 3.3 Sydney’s first ............................................................................................. 22 3.4 Gardens in other cities ............................................................................. 22 3.5 Birth of a network .................................................................................... 23 3.6 Time of growth ......................................................................................... 24 3 4. Community gardens – roles & benefits 4.1 The benefits of community gardens ....................................................... 26 4.1.1 Access to nutritious food ...................................................................... 27 4.1.2 Environmental benefit ......................................................................... 27 4.1.2.1 Environmental planting in Randwick .......................................... 28 4.1.2.2 Multifunctional planting in Brisbane .......................................... 28 4.1.2.3 Natives no stranger ................................................................. 28 4.1.3 Health benefits ................................................................................... 28 4.1.4 Educational benefit ............................................................................. 29 4.1.4.1 Educational values - a recurring response ................................... 30 4.2 Benefit to the arts .................................................................................... 31 4.3 Social benefit ............................................................................................ 31 4.3.1 The need for ‘third places’ ..................................................................... 32 4.4 Reducing crime ........................................................................................ 33 4.5 Encouraging good council/community relations ........................................ 33 4.6 Breaking down cultural barriers .............................................................. 33 5. The structure of community gardens 5.1 The number of gardens ............................................................................ 36 5.2 Establishing the gardens ......................................................................... 37 5.3 Access to land: where gardens are located ............................................. 37 5.3.1 Local government ............................................................................... 37 5.3.2 State government ............................................................................... 37 5.3.3 Schools .............................................................................................. 38 5.3.4 Churches ............................................................................................ 38 5.3.5 Community centres ............................................................................. 39 5.4 Approaches to starting gardens .............................................................. 39 5.5 Types of gardens ....................................................................................... 40 5.6 Legal structure .......................................................................................... 42 5.7 Cultivation methods ................................................................................. 43 5.8 Council involvement in the community garden ..................................... 43 6. Effective community gardening 6.1 Ideas on effectiveness .............................................................................. 46 6.2 The training and support managers view .............................................. 49 6.3 Decision making in community gardens ................................................ 50 6.3.1 Restrictive models ............................................................................... 50 6.4 Garden democracy ................................................................................... 51 6.5 Funding the gardens ................................................................................ 52 4 7 Community gardens – constraints and opportunities 7.1 Constraints ................................................................................................ 55 7.1.1 Land shortage .................................................................................... 55 7.1.2 Objections .......................................................................................... 56 7.1.3 Soil quality ......................................................................................... 57 Contaminated soils .............................................................................. 58 7.1.4 Constraints of capacity ......................................................................... 58 7.1.5 Labour ............................................................................................... 58 7.1.6 The use of organic methods .................................................................. 59 7.1.7 Management ...................................................................................... 59 7.1.8 Vandalism .......................................................................................... 59 7.1.8.1 Fences and open space alienation .............................................. 60 7.1.9 Other