As COVID-19 spreads havoc across the world we are seeing its impact on people’s health and wellbeing and our thoughts are with those who have been impacted directly by the virus.  In addition to health impacts we are also seeing significant social and economic impacts across the world with businesses closing, high unemployment, social unrest and food shortages. Whilst we have always viewed the food chain as vulnerable, it’s times like these that we see first-hand how dependent many of our countries are on outside food resources. This is especially the case when we see how quickly supermarket shelves can empty and the long delays in sourcing new supplies.  In these unprecedented times we are seeing supply chains interrupted, delays […]

As we enter 2020 and the start of a new decade I (Michael) have been once again reminded of the need for individual and locally based food security. I was watching a news report this morning of a mysterious new virus that has apparently being circulating among the population in the city of Wuhan in Southern China. Reports at this time are sketchy but the media are reporting that the virus appears to be quite virulent and closely related to the SARS virus that broke out in 2003.  The reports from China are very concerning….

This week I (Michael) spoke at a local Rotary Club on all things related to Food Security. At Grow Dynamix we are continually educating about the vital need for locally based food security systems to be implemented as a matter of urgency…. Food Security Matters!

At Grow Dynamix we are not only interested in our own local food security systems, but we also want to promote global food security. We do this the same way as we do it here in Tasmania, by encouraging food security through local individuals, schools and community groups. We encourage individuals and members of these groups to grow their own food and save their own seeds. We do this because we know how volatile food systems can be and being food secure into the future is important! We are proud to work with committed and hardworking people such as Dakota and Karenna and their great team in Northern Thailand who also want to achieve local food security….

Whenever I (Michael) talk on the issues of food security, I always refer to the BIG THREE! I believe there will be three major players in future food security, and they will be:1) Individual gardeners, 2) School gardens, and 3) Community based gardens. The reason why I believe school gardens will play a major role in future food security is…

Over the years we have heard a lot of bad press about the negatives of urban spread. Issues such as the destruction of habitat, loss of agricultural land and increased pollution have grabbed the limelight and left many people feeling unsure about the rapid growth of urban areas. Whilst many of the negative impacts that can occur with urban spread are true, little or nothing is said about the positive impacts. For example, when we first moved to our own suburban block in Tasmania it was surrounded by unused farmland. There was no food production occurring, very little diversity in fauna, flora and insect life and no usage of recyclable commodities such as rainwater and sunlight. In fact, the land […]

Over the summer we hit the road and delivered state-wide training to various community gardens in Tasmania. We believe a key pillar to seeing locally based food security become a reality is in seeing thriving, productive, locally based community gardens in operation. We conducted training on a variety of hands on topics such as seed raising, food security education, soil management, composting, fertilising, seed saving, correct seed storage and organic food production….

Aid in times of need is a great help but it is not a long-term solution as not only is it unsustainable, but it can also create long-term dependence. We believe that supporting local self-sufficiency projects results in longer term benefits for everyone. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” (Chinese Proverb).   In April this year we had the opportunity to spend time working with a local Karen tribe on the border of Thailand/Myanmar (formerly Burma) supporting them to establish a community food garden. Click to learn more about our most recent Community Development Project.

This month, Michael presented two food security workshops at a state conference for community service workers and volunteers. Many of the participants are involved with setting up and maintaining community gardens and teaching local community members how to grow their own food. Michael’s workshops covered the what, why and how of local and global food security. Conference participants had the opportunity to learn what true food security is, why we all need to be concerned by this issue and how we can all at some level be involved in food security solutions whether this be on an individual and/or collective basis. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 1996 describe food security as being achieved when “…all people […]

There is a myth that you can’t grow veggies without lots of direct sunlight. Whilst this is true to a certain extent you can also do a bit of a slight of hand trick by planting the right variety of vegetables at the right time that will do well in shaded conditions. Choose leaf or root veggies and sow and establish them before the shorter months when the sun is low in the sky. This bed of leafy greens was planted on April 1st (this is not an April Fool’s joke – we promise). They received about 4 hours of sunlight at that time but no direct sunlight from the middle of May till the beginning of September. Look at […]