Connecting urban farmers with backyards in Fawkner.
The Backyard Farmers Project matches aspiring urban farmers with underutilised Fawkner backyards so that they can learn whilst creating regenerative micro-farms and grow skills in urban farming. A bi-product of this project is nutritious and delicious food that is swapped, gifted, or donated back to the local community through the Merri Food Hub.
Backyard Farmers is hyper-local project that strengthens the local food system by providing opportunities for community to organise, build resilience, create biodiversity and spaces for fresh food to be grown, distributed, and consumed locally. It also has a strong emphasis on building connections within the local community, bringing together community members of all ages, genders and cultures, landowners, local food enterprises, urban farmers, and skilled-professionals through volunteer days, social meetups, committee meetings, farm tours, and training sessions.
Growing Farmers ran two rounds of the Backyard Farmers Project in 2021 and in 2022 and have decided to continue growing in Fawkner across four sites (including Fawkner Food Bowls) from September 2023 to April 2024. We will continue to share skills in regenerative growing in a collective manner and invite the community to participate in our upcoming volunteer programs.
Want to be involved? The Backyard Farmers Project is continuing in 2023-24, working collectively across four farms in collaboration with our partners Fawkner Food Bowls and Merri Food Hub.
We would like to thank our Round 2 farmers and farmhosts below for their participation!
Landhost Luke with farmers Liz and Lincoln, 2022
Co-farmers Liz and Lincoln are taking over the existing farm at landhosts Luke and Treaisa's place.
Farmer Liz currently works as a sound engineer, but plants and sustainability are her passion. Liz believes that fresh, healthy food should be available to everyone, and can’t wait to share the farm produce with the neighbourhood!
Farmer Lincoln is studying urban and regional planning and keen to apply theory to practice as a backyard farmer. Lincoln wants to increase his skills in self sufficiency with the dream of moving to the country one day.
Landhosts Luke and Treaisa loved participating in round one of the Backyard Farmers Project, enjoying the fresh produce from the backyard farm and meeting new people in the Fawkner community. They are excited about round two of the project, and getting to know Liz and Lincoln.
Farmers James and Haydn with landhost Sapphire, 2022
Our second farm team includes farmers James and Haydn, and landhost Sapphire!
Sapphire was a landhost for round 1 of the Backyard Farmers Project and is excited about welcoming James and Haydn onto the farm for the next twelve months.
James is a software developer and aspiring farmer outside of work hours. James is excited about learning, meeting new people, and growing some wacky things to supply the local community.
James is co-farming with Haydn, who is studying urban horticulture and keen to connect with the community and improve his food growing skills.
Farmers Sophie and Ben with landhost Clare, 2022
Landhost Clare recently moved into the house in Fawkner, and has dreams of transforming the blank-slate garden into a thriving urban farm. Clare has seen the benefits of gardening and community initiatives on mental health, and wants to participate in the local community and food system by offering her land for urban farming.
Like many of us, Ben was drawn to the experience of spending time in the garden and growing food during COVID. As a backyard farmer, he wants to increase his skills in food growing, and better understand how urban agriculture can contribute to regenerative food systems.
Ben is co-farming with Sophie, who believes that everyone should be able to access fresh food in a way that doesn’t cost the environment. Sophie loves the trial and error of growing food, and more and more appreciates the act of farming as one of care and activism. Sophie is excited about taste-testing farming on a small scale and improving local food security.
Landhosts Carmel and Francesca, with farmers Carla, Rebecca and Lindsay, 2022
Farmers Carla, Rebecca and Lindsay will be rejuvenating the backyard at Francesca’s place and forming a social connection with her and her family.
Francesca moved to Australia from Italy as a young woman and has lived in her current home for 55 years. When he was alive, her husband was responsible for tending to the garden and grew enough vegetables and fruit to feed their family and share with friends and neighbours. Francesca enjoys pottering in the garden, however because of her age and health needs help growing vegetables for the community.
Carla is studying horticulture and grateful to have the opportunity to learn and gain growing experience. She is forever amazed by all plants and their incredible abilities, and loves growing zucchinis.
Rebecca’s favourite vegetable to grow is artichokes, and she is most excited about working with Carmel and Francesca and getting to know their culture.
Lindsay is keen to improve his farming skills and be involved with an elder of the local community. He loves growing all sorts of things from spinach to shitake mushrooms!
Farmer Ollie, landhost Sam, and farmer Jeanette, 2022
Ollie and Jeanette are co-farmers who will be establishing and maintaining an urban farm in landhost Sam’s backyard.
Landhost Sam applied to participate because her enormous backyard was difficult to manage, and she wanted to see the spaced used to reduce her carbon footprint and feed the community with fresh healthy food.
Sam is grateful to welcome farmers Ollie and Jeanette into her life. Ollie works in garden design and as a handy-person and is dedicated to building community and food system resilience. He is excited to design the new farm collaboratively with co-farmer Jeanette.
Jeanette is a Fawkner local and super passionate about grassroots responses to the challenges of food security. Jeanette is not only excited about growing food, but also cooking it and sharing it. She can't wait to see what kind of thriving ecosystem they can create in Sam's yard, and the amazing produce that will come from it.
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