Its a fact of life.. for community projects to happen, we have to raise money ourselves along with volunteer our time to make things happen.
Council have given us some funds to get things rolling ($30,000), but that soon gets spent on things like water supply..ie one hose tap to site $8,000, temporary gate for access to site $680, to move trees from neighbouring Red Zone $7,500, compost approx $10,000, pathways $22,000, edging approx $15,000, entranceways $4,500, signage $1,500, mulch $5,000… and we havent spent anything on trees or plants…
You will note that the design, the organising, the maintainence, the creation of the food forest is entirely voluntary…
So I have put these words together to see if that will encourage people and businesses to come forward and donate, trees, plants, time and money.
What do you think???
Growing food – Growing community
The Kaiapoi food forest will be enduring through its values –
connect, nourish, educate, and inspire.
A community food forest provides abundant free food for visitors to gather – fruits, vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants by way of a layered companion planting system.
Imagine wandering through a flourishing forest where almost every plant is edible and all plants serve a purpose.
However we want more than that, we want people to help maintain and learn how to grow plants and be inspired to take what they have learnt to create a food forest in their backyard or in their own community. We want people to come connect with friends and family and picnic in the park, we will help facilitate community events, we want chefs and cooks come and teach people how to cook the food grown in the food forest, we want people to be inspired by artwork, creative landscaping and seating and the beautiful natural landscape.
The Kaiapoi food forest will be filled with many heritage fruit varieties that will provide a wide range of delectable fruit, higher levels of vitamin C and higher nutritional value.
The wide range of fruits and vegetables will encourage visitors to try something different to eat.
20% of New Zealanders are classified as food insecure, which means they are lacking access to safe, affordable, nutritional and culturally appropriate food. Social and community based food forest will allow better access to affordable food for low income or no income families are growing.
The Kaiapoi Food Forest Trust have joined a growing movement of food champions in the greater Canterbury community, where groups and local government, and district health sectors are aiming to bring actors together to address issues facing our food regions.
Food forest layer design principles are suitable to be replicated on small or large residential property sizes. The food forest will be the centre of learning to inspire people of all ages, how and what can be grown locally, how to reduce waste, use of plants and cooking classes, encourage food security and replicate design principles at a residential level.
The Food forest is designed to create its own micro climate, an ideal location to meet up with friends and family, ideal for picnics, ideal for events, ideal location to eat and cook food. The location of the food forest to Kaiapoi’s main street along with easy access off the motorway makes this food forest an ideal location to stop and visit by eco tourists.
Innovative creative seating and original art works placed throughout will make the food forest enduring, a destination to visit by residents and tourists. The beauty of kai in Kaiapoi’s name, makes it even more appealing.
Allow local businesses to have a positive impact and connect with a community legacy project by having employees volunteer for a day, donate produce, donate money, donate to a specific project like seating, artworks or events. Local schools and community groups can come maintain the food forest along with planting crops of their choice and of course gather food.
Community garden / food forest programs can have significant mental health benefits for participating gardeners. There is a substantial body of evidence that shows that, when taken together, the essential components of a food forest program (growing plants, spending time with others in a safe and supportive environment, being active outdoors and bringing home healthy produce harvested from the garden) can contribute to positive mental health outcomes.
If you would like to donate time, plants, or some money to the cause please let us know. Call or text Brent on (027) 222 4767 or email brent@kai.net.nz