THE Crossing Land Education Trust at Bermagui is running a Sustainable Agriculture Leadership program thanks to support from The IMB Community Foundation.
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During the program, local student leaders from a number of different schools in the region have been helping River Cottage Australia and other “farm to market” local food producers.
Between camps and field trips the Land Leaders, as they are known, are completing an online series of missions to achieve a “Young Masters on Sustainable Development” qualification.
This is a qualification developed by the United Nations for young people.
Part of the orientation to the program occurred in The Crossing Youth Tent at Cobargo Folk Festival.
Here the Land Leaders wondered if we would: “go troppo with climate change?”
Ideas such as ‘edible beds’ sent the discussion into comic territory as young people presented a vibrant future vision of life in the local shires.
From Wednesday, April 29 to Saturday, May 2, the Land Leaders had a four-day camp with journeys to five different small-scale “farm to market” enterprises.
At Bemboka they investigated pioneer skills training and a persimmon harvest at Gaia Range Farm.
One of the participants, Liam Jolley, commented that “the systems work together, the place was really integrated. Our track making was a great task…because we started with nothing, made something and finished it”.
In Tilba, the Land Leaders cooked with host and television star Paul West in the River Cottage Australia kitchen and helped prepare the garden for cooking classes and filming for the TV series later this year.
Talieson Stewart, from Bega High, noted that, “Sustainability really only happens in a community, not on your own…it’s smart to trade”.
At Cobargo, the crew helped Thea and Tim on a fledgling market garden called Fishbone Farm.
Finuala Van Stekelenberg noticed that, “We were treated as adults doing tasks that were important”.
At Dignams Creek, the Land Leaders helped a bush food and Landcare nursery South Coast Flora to get ready for market.
Another Land Leader, Branson Harris commented that, “Merryn collects a lot of seed, she makes growing easy”.
Finally back near Bermagui at The Crossing, the crew prepared a home-grown morning tea for their families. It was a delicious Saturday morning finish to the first camp.
Land Leaders field trips planned for June will take them to larger scale farm to market enterprises including to Eden to process and value-add to South East food with Disaster Bay Chillies.
Then back to Tilba’s River Cottage Australia to grow some recipes for the cooking classes.
Then it’s on to Yowrie to assist the Scheafer family with their holistic lamb farm.
And finally to Tilba to join in the milking and cheese making with Nick and Erica Dibden and help with plantings to deal with high nutrient and water runoff areas.
The Land Leaders wish to thank the IMB Community Foundation, the Far South Coast Landcare Association, Bega Valley Shire Youth Council, River Cottage Australia and South East Producers for their support with this program.
They also want to invite people to meet them at The Sea to Snow Ball on June 26, which is the last Friday of Term 2.
The Land Leaders will be decorating and preparing local food for the Sea to Snow Ball, which is op shop formal at Quaama Hall as the final leadership event of their program.
The Sea to Snow Ball is a major fundraiser of The Crossing to establish a perpetual scholarship fund for South East young people doing the annual 250km Sea to Snow Journey.
The night will be family friendly and alcohol-free with great bands as well as The Bega Chamber Orchestra and a String Quartet to welcome people for formal photos.
There will be a Sea to Snow caption competition on the night and a showcase of youth acts from “The Little Night In” as well as a hearty warm meal.
It’s going to be a fantastic event for a fantastic cause, according to The Crossing’s Dean Turner.
“A huge thanks to Buddy Gottas and Rhys Davies for being the young leaders of the Ball!”
Donations of local foods to support this event would be greatly appreciated by the Land Leaders.
More info at http://thecrossing.thebegavalley.org.au