Green but keen
2010-03-26T05:26:10+11:00
American activists are doing their best to get young people on the land and farming sustainably, writes SIMON WEBSTER.
Encouraging young people to farm is a challenge that Australia is going to have to face in coming years if we are to grow more of our food locally.
Over in the United States, the Greenhorns, a non-profit group, is showing the way forward.
The group supports young farmers and encourages young people to take up life on the land, with an emphasis on small-scale, sustainable farms.
The Greenhorns have produced an online guide for new farmers (please note that much of the information is relevant only in the US) and is making a documentary about young people taking up the challenge of growing food for a living.
You can see a three-minute trailer for the film here or a 13-minute version here. There’s an interview with director Severine von Tscharner Fleming on greenie website Grist and there’s even an online Greenhorns radio show.
In Australia, support groups for young people on the land include the Future Farmers Network, but it is for established farmers rather than beginners and focuses on conventional rather than organic practices.
If anyone knows of any Australian groups doing what the Greenhorns are doing, please let us know.
