June 25, 2015
Guests who attended a one-day “Resilient, Sustainable Future Forum” in Kingaroy on Saturday heard about a variety of ways they could improve their gardening and farming practices right now and, at the same time, help conserve the environment.
The crowd wasn’t large – there were a lot of things on over the weekend – but those who attended shared a strong interest in making the world a better place. And by the end of the day many said they felt well rewarded for the six hours they’d stayed to listen, talk and share ideas.
The free forum was jointly organised by Growing The Burnett and the Burnett Mary Regional Group, and held in the Town Common Hall.
During the course of the day, eight different presenters examined everything from organic farming practices and heritage foods through to soil and waterway regeneration, bee-keeping, renewable energy options and the importance of planning for future food security.
Speakers came from Gayndah, the Sunshine Coast, Yarraman and locally to share their personal experiences with various technologies and approaches they were already applying in their day-to-day lives.
The speakers were also able to pass on tips about what worked best – and what didn’t work well, or at all – in particular situations.
The forum was compered by Brian Jarvis from Growing The Burnett, who also gave a talk on the importance of planning today to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
GTB will be launching a crowd-funding site shortly in an effort to raise funds to build a sustainable small farming centre in the region which will also showcase eco-friendly technologies.
“There is great interest in the South Burnett about small acreage farming, environmental conservation and independent living,” he said.
“Land in the South Burnett is relatively cheap compared to the coast, and the area is very fertile.
“A lot of people would like to become self-sufficient, and we’d like to build a centre where people can learn how to do that.”
The group also run the regular Thursday Farmers Markets at O’Neill Square in Kingaroy, which brings local food producers face to face with fresh food consumers.
