Celebrity gardener Costa Georgiadis has a "big picture" view of the important issue of food security.
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It's about asking whether we have a Plan B if everything falls apart.
- Costa Georgiadis
The Logie award winning landscape gardener toured the region for five days, meeting with school children and taking part in panel discussions on topics from regenerative agriculture to Indigenous land management.
The issue of food security is high on his agenda, and with a podcast on biosecurity in the works, he's "planting seeds" in the minds of many Australians on the need to work towards everyone having access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food.
"We have been talking about the big picture," he said. "It's about asking whether we have a Plan B if everything falls apart.
"It's about the importance of growing local food systems, and the options for people to get food grown locally. Food swaps have also become a great thing.
They are also happening in the city, and edible garden trails are getting more popular. Things can change with concerted consistency."
Mr Georgiadis set the next step is to have the school curriculum aligned with the work of school staff and volunteers in actively embracing the paddock to plate concept.
He said while many schools now have gardens students can eat from, it must be adopted officially by the education department.
He said the discussions, which included fellow speakers Bruce Davidson, Yully Arnold and Dan Morgan, were also an opportunity for locals to connect, network and potentially begin working together.
"It's like there's all these layers going on in the community, and it's about bringing them together," Mr Georgiadis said.
"I'm seeing the country awakening to Indigenous land management. And everything we talk about is an influence on the next generation."
He said the discussion at Pambula on Friday covered "the scourge of single-use plastics", waste water and sewerage.
"Urine and manure are a valuable resource for gardens," he said.
This week is FrogID Week, Australia's biggest frog count, and with the animals currently under threat from habitat loss, disease and climate change, Mr Georgiadis said the Australian Museum initiative is adding to the already "very important" citizen science community.
"The advent of apps like this is a great way to get kids involved. It's a way of using technology outside. You don't have to tell them to put their phones down," he said.
He said artificial intelligence will also play an important part of conservation in the near future.
"We've got to rely on people and getting them actively involved, so we can stay on top of all these challenges," he said.