On an average Ainslie block lies a hidden urban farm, filled to the brim with pumpkins, tomatoes, chickens, rabbits, bees, sunflowers, grapes, microgreens, persimmons, pistachios, strawberries, feijoas … it’s a garden wonderland!
Fiona Buining began plotting her pride and joy, the Ainslie Urban Farm, back in 2008. Starting from scratch, the property was the perfect blank slate on which to design her urban garden dream.
Fifteen years on, Fiona has transformed her hobby farm into a thriving business that provides sustainable microgreens to 30 local restaurants and cafes. Many Canberrans have eaten one of Fiona’s backyard baby greens without even realising it.
One of her main motivations for delving into the microgreens world was her desire to run a no-waste business.
Fiona grows her greens in trays made in Victoria from recycled plastic and collects the trays to reuse at every weekly delivery.
Often, her custom-made organic soil will also be given back to her from her customers, which is also composted. The microgreens are also delivered in an electric vehicle, giving the process a carbon neutral kick.
Her fervour for farming goes back several decades to her childhood.
“I’ve always really loved growing plants … I’ve had a garden everywhere I’ve lived,” Fiona says.
“The great thing about plants is they use carbon dioxide and sunlight to make food, so what’s better than that?”
Growing a garden is not only good for the environment, but also for the soul.
Fiona explains the physiology behind physically contacting soil with your hands: the activity helps to release serotonin and dopamine, two ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters present in the brain. In simple terms, touching the earth helps people to feel happy.
During her time teaching sustainable gardening at Merici College in Braddon, Fiona says she witnessed profound changes in her students’ mental wellbeing when they engaged in her class.
Recently completing a Churchill Fellowship to research urban farm training programs in the US, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands, Fiona’s study reveals the ACT has plenty of scope to grow more food.
Community gardens have been growing in popularity across Canberra, but Fiona says there’s even more potential.
She’s been working with the Suburban Land Agency to develop innovative models for community gardens and believes “there’s endless scope for us to grow a lot more food in Canberra”.
Not only are they fantastic for our ecosystems, provide homes for insects, and allow Canberrans to consume fresh, local produce, community gardens can also assist in reducing food insecurity.
“Absolutely there’s a role for us growing more food for people who are food insecure and just enabling food justice and food access,” Fiona says.
“It would be good to have more access to really good quality fresh food, which we could do through growing it.”
An example of a community garden that supports vulnerable people is Canberra City Care in Charnwood, where they grow the vegetables used to cook meals for people who are food insecure, she says.
Looking to start your own urban farm? Fiona has a simple piece of advice: “Just start growing one thing”.
“You can’t go from zero to 100 in one second. With gardening, it’s a process. I’m still learning all the time,” she says.
“Starting with one crop, or just one thing, in a pot, in a small garden bed, whatever you’ve got.
“Just grow more plants.”
If you are interested in learning a thing or two about urban farming from Fiona, you can sign up for one of her upcoming workshops with the Canberra Environment Centre and at Lanyon Homestead’s Harvest Day Out.
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