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2002 — The Network

Written 12 February 2002, updated August 2015, updated October 2016

Community gardens and city farms are places where people come together to grow fresh food, to learn, relax and make new friends.

The Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network connects city farms and community gardens around Australia. It is a community-based organisation linking people interested in city farming and community gardening across Australia.

Aims

The aims of the network include:

  • facilitating the formation and management of community gardens and similar social enterprise by making available information and, where possible, advice
  • promoting the benefits of community gardening and urban agriculture.

Objectives

Within the limits of its capacity, the network will:

  • advocate on behalf of community gardeners
  • provide information on the website that is adequate and accurate
  • provide presentations and advice to local government, other institutions and communities interested in establishing community gardens
  • document the development of community gardening in Australia
  • provide a list of contacts through which the public may contact community gardens.

Structure

The network:

  • maintains this website as a source of information
  • maintains an email distribution list for notification of events and information relevant to community gardeners
  • has contacts in different states
  • is a voluntary organisation providing an information service
  • relies on members and participants to provide information and to organise activities
  • may, in some regions, organise events.

Background

The Australian Community Gardens Network was started by Dr Darren Phillips in 1996.

Darren’s idea was to set up an Australia-wide network of people interested in community gardens, city farms, urban agriculture and community education centres.

He organised contact people in different states who could provide information on community gardens and notify enquirers where they could find the gardens. The website now fulfills some of those functions, however there remain contact people who may be able to provide other advice within the limits of time and cost availability.

Successes

Some successes of the Community Gardens Network:

  • publication of the 1996 Australian City Farms, Community Gardens and Enterprise Centres Inventory
  • organisation of a number of community garden open days in Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane to bring community gardeners together
  • listing on the City Farmer website, Vancouver, Canada
  • lobbying for the inclusion of White’s Creek Community Garden in local government landuse planning
  • liaison with Botany Council for the establishment of a community garden
  • provision of horticultural training to South Sydney Council’s Waterloo Estate community gardeners
  • publication of several print newsletters
  • advising on the establishment of a number of community gardens in Brisbane
  • cooperation focused on nutritional health and gardening between the South Australian Department of Health and local community gardens
  • presentations at the Blue Mountains Wild Aware environmental festival
  • information provision in person and via website to researchers and tertiary students
  • consultation with Gardens for Western Sydney group to establish community gardens in Sydney’s west and south-west
  • advice to community and local government workers in regional NSW
  • establishment of partnership with Australian Community Foods and participation on their website
  • advocated for a number of footpath gardens to remain
  • has organised six national community garden gatherings.

Interested in joining the Network?

By joining the ACFCGN, you help us educate and work towards food secure cities, tasty food systems, and new opportunities and support the development of the Map Directory and the ongoing development of this website and eNEWS.

Within its capacity, the Network:

  • advocates on behalf of community gardens, city farms and community food systems
  • provides education and information on our website and social media
  • advises local government, institutions and communities interested in establishing community gardens
  • documents the development of community gardening in Australia
  • is available to the media.

As  a member you can:

  • list your organisation in the Map Garden Listing
  • receive a regular eNEWS
  • upload your courses and events
  • create a profile about your organisation and share stories and interesting city farm and/or community garden news with others on the community section of this website.

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