Food and Agriculture- Growing Together; Community Food

Systems The problem

A community food system is one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption are integrated to enhance the environmental, economic, and social and nutritional health of a particular place. This is a goal towards which many communities are now striving. Across the country, communities are initiating diverse projects that develop connections between different parts of the food system.

Policy relevance and policy references

In October 2009 The Green Party and Fianna Fail agreed a Renewed Programme for Government in order to govern in coalition. The following is an extract: Organic farming, farmers markets, GM free Ireland and community gardens were all included in the policy.

Key messages for radio listeners

We need to improve access by all community members to an adequate, affordable, nutritious diet this can be helped by establishing community gardens. As well as places to grow food and learn how best to do that, community gardens are a fantastic way to meet your neighbors. Community Supported Agriculture is another way people can get involved in food production and support local producers. CSAs can also be a way to help small farmers remain economically viable in these difficult times. For many this system is a way to take responsibility for how our food is produced and to reduce the distance from the field to our plates. Intro for the radio programme In this weeks show we are going to explore, community gardens, food cooperatives and a new idea called a CSA, a community supported agriculture project or a community farm. We are going to hear about the Community Supported Agriculture initiative in Cloughjordan, talk about the Dublin Food Cooperative in Newmarket Street and explore why we need to build community food systems as well as growing some food ourselves.

Market development/Market supply/Changing behaviour

Get Ireland Growing is a campaign run by the Green Party to encourage people to grow their own food in order to stay healthy, save air miles, learn new skills, get the family involved and enhance community involvement.

The National Community Garden Association was formed in Nov 2008 with support from Wicklow Community Gardening Network, Cultivate Centre, Climate Champions, Soul Food group and the Organic Centre. Plots of land have been found in all manner of ways: donated by parish priests and schools for use by local schoolchildren. The Organic Centre in Leitrim runs a school garden project as part of their Peace & Environment Programme, they currently work with 6 primary schools in Enniskillen, Garrison and Rossinver. Experienced gardeners from The Organic Centre work with teachers and children in each of the schools to create an organic kitchen garden growing vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers.

Irish Community Food Growing: http://irishcommunityfoodgrowing.org/ is a network for Community Gardens and Allotments across the country.

Mechanisms and supporting measures

Government The Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund promotes sustainable development by assisting small, non-profit environmental projects at a local level. Any project that will improve local levels of environmental awareness, or help to build greener more sustainable communities can apply for funding. Community Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA) is Irelands leading organic

certification body dedicated to certifying organic produce and products throughout Ireland. IOFGA has been at the forefront of the organic movement in Ireland since it was established in 1982.

Best Practices
Community Supported Argiculture The Cloughjordan Community Farm is located on a 21 acre farm on the outskirts of the village and also utilises two fields on the ecovillage land. Members are encouraged to get involved in the planting, weeding, and in the management of the farm. This CSA is very much community driven but other CSA systems are farmer led. For a farmer a CSA can provide a small but secure income and the involvement of the community can overcome feelings of isolation and loneliness so rife in that sector.

Community Gardens The Organic Centre in County Leitrim supports 20 food growing intiatives and country wide community gardens are appearing rapidly. In Galway the Ballybane Community Organic Garden was set up in 2004 through the initiative of the local Ballybane/Mervue CDP (community development partnership).The South Circular Road Food Garden Project began in April 2007.

www.bigfoto.com

Growing Together - Community Food Systems Context

A community food system is one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption are integrated to enhance the environmental, economic, and social and nutritional health of a particular place. This is a goal towards which many communities are now striving. Across the country, communities are initiating diverse projects that develop connections between different parts of the food system. One of the most central aspects of these projects is increased participation by local residents in working to secure better access to an to an adequate, affordable, nutritious diet which is produced locally. Creating more direct and beneficial links between farmers and consumers will be essential in an oil scarce future and to help rebuild our local economies and support Irish farmers and food producers

we need to, whenever possible, buy Irish produce. By shopping local we can also reduce the resources used to move food between producers and consumers while at the same time reducing our carbon emissions. By developing food and agriculture-related businesses that create jobs, recirculate financial capital in the community, or in other ways, contribute to the communitys economic development will be essential way to build the resilience of our communities. Community Gardens and Community Supported Agriculture projects are gaining momentum. Community Gardens are run by the community and used for growing herbs, flowers, vegetables and fruit and sometimes for conserving rare plants and seeds. As well as providing a place to grow and learn to grow food the strength in a community garden is as a place to get to know others living in your community. They often offer somewhere to reduce your household waste by using communal composting systems as is the case in Stiric Garden in Stonybatter. A CSA, a community supported agriculture project takes community food production to a new level. There are now thousands of CSAs around the world and they come in many forms. They provide fresh, high-quality, local food which typically use organic or biodynamic growing methods. Typically members pay a weekly subscription and pick up a share of produce every week. Importantly they also share in the risk, if there is a crop failure the members share the loss. Many systems encourage members to work on the farm in exchange for a portion of their membership fee. CSAs can also be a way to help small farmers remain economically viable in these difficult times. For many members this system is a way to take responsibility for how our food is produced and to reduce the distance from the field to our plates.

Policy relevance and policy references

In October 2009 The Green Party and Fianna Fail agreed a Renewed Programme for Government in order to govern in coalition. The following is an extract: We will continue to support family farms through a more targeted scheme of on-farm investment. We will also continue to support lowincome farmers through the Farm Assist Scheme and adapt it in consultation with the relevant farming organisations We will ensure the achievement of the target of 5% of land in organic agriculture and meet the growing demand for domestically produced organic produce by providing adequate resources and supports for the achievement of the target, with a focus on import substitution in areas where Ireland is under-producing at present e.g. horticulture. Beginning in 2010, and rising in subsequent years, we will step up supports for the Organic Farming Scheme for conversion to organic production, Capital Grants for the Organic Sector and Non-Capital costs. We will conduct a review of our National Food Security Policy to develop resilience in food production capacity to future proof against substantial rises in price and diminishing availability of oil and to meet the challenge of Climate Change. We will ensure that new public procurement guidelines for food include criteria based on giving greater weight to sustainable local produce, seasonal menus and organic production, building on good practice in other EU countries in this area.

 We will review standards to ensure that micro-production and direct selling by producers are not impeded, building on good practice from other EU countries We will promote and support a network of farmers' markets at Local Authority level to encourage more direct selling from producers to consumers. We will develop a template for the establishment of farm-gate shops and ensure that the necessary legislative arrangements are made to facilitate this.

Key messages for the listeners of the radio show

We need to improve access by all community members to an adequate, affordable, nutritious diet this can be helped by establishing community gardens. As well as places to grow food and learn how best to do that, community gardens are a fantastic way to meet your neighbors. Community Supported Agriculture is another way people can get involved in food production and support local producers. CSAs can also be a way to help small farmers remain economically viable in these difficult times. For many this system is a way to take responsibility for how our food is produced and to reduce the distance from the field to our plates.

Intro for the radio programme

In this weeks show we are going to explore, community gardens, food cooperatives and a new idea called a CSA, a community supported agriculture

project or a community farm. We are going to hear about the Community Supported Agriculture initiative in Cloughjordan, talk about the Dublin Food Cooperative in Newmarket Street and explore why we need to build

community food systems as well as growing some food ourselves.

Market development- supply/ Changing behavior

Get Ireland Growing is a campaign run by the Green Party to encourage people to grow their own food in order to stay healthy, save air miles, learn new skills, get the family involved and enhance community involvement.

The National Community Garden Association was formed in Nov 2008 with support from Wicklow Community Gardening Network, Cultivate Centre, Climate Champions, Soul Food group and the Organic Centre. Plots of land have been found in all manner of ways: donated by parish priests and schools for use by local schoolchildren. The Organic Centre in Leitrim runs a school garden project as part of their Peace & Environment Programme, they currently work with 6 primary schools in Enniskillen, Garrison and Rossinver. Experienced gardeners from The Organic Centre work with teachers and children in each of the schools to create an organic kitchen garden growing vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. The project promotes eco-literacy within the context of the primary curriculum, and draws upon best practices in collaborative and self-directed learning. As well as learning to grow their own food, the weekly gardening sessions cover a wide range of environmental issues such as composting,

recycling, and the interconnectedness of natural eco-systems. Most importantly, the children learn to work with nature, not against it. The project also involves cross-community sessions based at the Organic Centre, where children from both main religious communities engage in shared activities that further develop their environmental awareness. The schools also come together for a shared harvest celebration. Understanding the importance of natural bio-diversity and inter-connectedness can be a very effective way for children to learn the value of religious and cultural diversity.

Irish Community Food Growing: http://irishcommunityfoodgrowing.org/ is a network for Community Gardens and Allotments across the country.

Supporting mechanism
Government The Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund promotes sustainable development by assisting small, non-profit environmental projects at a local level. Some of the projects supported to date have included community gardens, allotments and composting schemes as well as rainwater harvesting schemes, educational initiatives and environmental projects. The fund has also assisted Galway and Limerick in attaining fair-trade city status.The Department of Environment provides a total grant of 350,000 for the fund. This grant is matched by the local authorities, bringing the total fund to 700,000. To

qualify for this fund projects should complement national environmental policies such as Waste, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. Any project that will improve local levels of environmental awareness, or help to build greener more sustainable communities can apply for funding. Community Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA) is Irelands leading organic certification body dedicated to certifying organic produce and products throughout Ireland. IOFGA has been at the forefront of the organic movement in Ireland since it was established in 1982. Over twenty five years of experience in certifying, training and networking with organic farmers has placed the association in a unique position to serve a dynamic and growing organic market. IOFGA is a voluntary organisation and a company limited by guarantee with a membership open to all. It has an elected board of directors and is supported by a membership of over one thousand people.

Best Practices
Community Supported Argiculture The Cloughjordan Community Farm is located on a 21 acre farm on the outskirts of the village and also utilises two fields on the ecovillage land.

Members are encouraged to get involved in the planting, weeding, and in the management of the farm. This CSA is very much community driven but other CSA systems are farmer led. For a farmer a CSA can provide a small but secure income and the involvement of the community can overcome feelings of isolation and loneliness so rife in that sector. The Stroud Community Agriculture project, one of the more established CSAs in England, has regular activities and celebrations to encourage members to get involved. Monthly workdays, farm walks, barbecues and picnics all help to cultivate community as well as cultivating the land. Community farms can also make connections with wider members of the community such as local councils, schools, educational institutions and voluntary organisations

Community Gardens The Organic Centre in County Leitrim supports 20 food growing intiatives and country wide community gardens are appearing rapidly. In Galway the Ballybane Community Organic Garden was set up in 2004 through the initiative of the local Ballybane/Mervue CDP (community development partnership). Three years on the project is thriving. Crops grown to date include potatoes, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, coriander and runner beans. The project is supported by Galway City Council, which provided a site, HSE West, RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment & Development), NUI Galway, the VEC and Ballybane/ Mervue CDP. The South Circular Road Food Garden Project began in April 2007 when a collective from the recently evicted Dolphins Barn Garden (2005-2006)

decided to continue the project on a new site. They have a derelict site, once a car park on loan from ST Salvage Company that they have converted into a community food garden. http://southcirculargarden.blogspot.com/

BOX Graphs/data and bibliography

Renewed Programme for Government 2009 http://www.greenparty.ie/en/government/renewed_programme_for_governmen t Allotments.ie has been developed as an information source for all Irish gardeners wishing to grow their own food. www.allotments.ie Grow It Yourself Ireland www.giyireland.com Get Ireland Growing: http://www.getgrowing.ie/ South Dublin Allotment Association: http://homepage.eircom.net/~sthduballots/ Kinvara Sustainable Living http://www.kinvarasustainableliving.com/

Irish Network of Community Gardening http://irishcommunitygardening.org/ Cork Food Web http://corkfoodweb.ning.com/ Irish Allotments http://www.irishallotments.net/ The Organic Centre: http://www.organiccentre.ie/ IOFGA http://iofga.org/

Finding Allotments: Fingal County Council: Almost 500 new allotments will open in Powerstown and Donabate in 2009. Dublin City Council: Dublin City Council is working on a range of allotment plots. De Courcey Sqaure plots in Glasnevin are due to open this year. South Dublin County Council: In Clondalkin, Palmerstown, Bohernabreena and Tallaght. Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council: 100 allotments exist at Mount Anville. Other private allotments or community gardens exist in: Organic Centre, Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal Bantry House, Cork Grow your own Turid, Oldcaslte, Co. Meath Finglas Community Garden South Circular Road Garden Galway Ballynane, Westside, Ballyloughan Road Sitric garden, Stoneybatter, Dublin