Gardeners Retreat Food Initiative
Food poverty is at its worse since the Middle Ages and every year approximately 72 Billion Pounds (weight) of perfectly good food are thrown away.
Add to that the food miles - when you hear the term "Food Miles", what are your thoughts? We instantly think of Pollution and Mega Cargo Ships. With the Mega Ships, we see Marine Degradation and Water Displacement which add to the already rising waters of the oceans.
We ask you to sit for a moment and visualise the consequences "food miles" will have and how it will affect you and your family in the not too distant future? Food miles are inevitable, especially as we try and feed those in areas where the climate isn't the best for growing food crops, but if we can reduce our reliability, it will offset the consequences for where food transport is really needed.
Food would be local in an ideal world, food would be affordable, and food would be sustainable. Well, what if we have come up with part of the solution to lower some of those food miles and help the fight against food poverty?
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Hi, we are Give2Grow a small group of friends with physical and mental health "differences" but the thing which brought us together is the fact that none of us can physically talk. We are an International Community Group set up in the UK. We volunteer Nationally and Internationally to help communities and people around the world. We take nothing! The only deductions are what is necessary; Payment Processing Fees, Bank Charges and Taxes if/when applicable. Everything else is to develop the project.
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We are raising funds to start 'The Gardeners Retreat Community Food Initiative'. Developed by disabled people as a hobby, as part of an emotional, mental and physical healing process. It is also serving as a hobby for people who are hard of hearing and with visual complications. Although this project will focus on the healing aspects of gardening, it can be so much more.
We want to lower food miles for a better environment and a healthier you! We want to create a change in this world. We do not want to replace Supermarkets, we want to offer some different choices to complement what they do. Eventually, we want to work with farms, farm shops, farmers markets, traditional greengrocers, zero-waste stores, cafes, pubs, restaurants, and truly independent stores.
You can contribute even if you live internationally. Donate in Your Local Currency to support this project in Your Country. We have a range of options. See below for details.
Looking at history, farms were growing and selling produce to the local settlements, villages and main towns. A majority of villages had their own Pig Sty etc. Well, let us take the idea of ‘village farms’ and bring that into the Modern Era.
Starting small with Hobby Gardeners as well as those gardening for therapeutic reasons and then incorporating Homesteaders, Smallholders, Farmers, Farm Shops, Farmers Markets, Greengrocers, Pubs and Restaurants to grow/supply food for the local community, businesses and local services like Schools but the priority of supply must go to those below the poverty line, at least until we have built up our processes in a sustainable way. What food isn't shared, swapped, or sold fresh will be preserved either by dehydrating, freeze-drying, freezing or made into other food products which can be consumed, which in that form can be shared, swapped, or sold. Although we will sell some things it is only to cover wear and tear on equipment and packaging. This could be done through a deposit system or a small subscription-based service.
This really is local food for local people!
Here is how it will work?
Each "gardener" will be allocated a plot where they can grow a food crop (to start with this could just be their own garden). The plot will be manageable for a single person or a couple. Each year, some of the gardeners will rotate the crops between plots. Others will use Permaculture and other gardening techniques and some will just grow for helping wildlife and animals. Bigger plots will use "regenerative agriculture" methods.
The produce would be used to help those suffering from food poverty. It could be shared with the local community. it could be swapped with other gardeners in the community or people from outside the community who wish to swap their variety or seeds for a variety we have grown.
What food is not dispensed freshly, will be preserved into produce that is shelf-stable, without the use of preservatives like soups, stocks and stews in returnable, reusable glass packaging. It can be freeze-dried either as an individual item or whole meals can be freeze-dried. This can then be provided to the community in the same way, swapped, shared or sold. Of course, we intend on using farmers for some supply and farm shops, pubs, and other independent retailers to help with the use and distribution. As we grow we see this expanding to many areas. But as with everything, we need to start small.
Essentially, we are taking the old food preservation technique of "canning" as well as the modern technique of freeze-drying to cut down on food waste and be kinder to the environment.
What will the site look like?
If the site was all in one area, it will look like a big garden with orchards for our fruit and rows of hedgerow fruits unless we can secure an affordable and sustainable organic supply. There will be wildlife havens, wild food and permaculture areas. There will be a maintained Herb Garden where people in the community can help themselves. There will also be a cultivated 'foraging' area where people can forage in the knowledge that what they gather is safe. But we know we may need to make use of smaller plots of land dotted around each community.
We want it to be completely sustainable and self-reliant. Therefore, we will have a building where freeze-drying and preparation will take place. There will also be Solar Panels and/or Wind Turbines. The Solar panels will be 'raised' on a platform so we can make use of the space underneath.
Will the site feature anything else?
We hope so! However, that will depend upon what size land and planning permission we can obtain. Here are just a few things we could potentially do:
We would like to have a biogas plant that will provide nutritious and natural plant feed from garden trimmings and also naturally made bio-gas to charge up the battery bank on days where the weather has not been at its best. For those of you who are worried about the emissions, we have a way to capture the vapour from the chimney/exhaust and sequester that to the ground for nature to take care of naturally using reed beds.
We would like to have a Community Compost Program where the community can bring their biodegradable waste and exchange it for our home-produced compost. A small charge will be made for those who want compost who have nothing to swap for it.
Hydroponic Greens is something else we would like to incorporate. This will save space, save water and more can be grown in small areas - Maybe located under the solar platform, that would be ideal.
A Wood-Fuel Alternative is yet another thing we could bring to a site. The fuel could be classed as carbon-negative for many reasons. One reason is that the crop we intend to use sequesters more carbon to the ground than what is released when burnt. Parts of the crop that isn't used in the wood-alternative fuel can either be used for biogas, or it could be used for making paper, extracting the fibres for cloth & textiles or used in the wildlife area for food or shelter. So we are making multiple uses from as many products as possible with as few processing steps as possible. All in all, with what we do, once fully operational, we will be at the very least Carbon Neutral which is beneficial to getting the local wildlife and environment thriving.
Bio-fuels and Bio-Crude Oil could be incorporated on a larger site to help make use of part of our waste. This again adds up to get the most product from one growing cycle with as little processing as possible. As well as creating biogas, we would be able to produce 100% Bio Road Fuels and other 100% Bio-alternatives for Motor Oils, Aviation Fuels, Heating Oils as well as the gases Bio-Butane and Bio-Propane which again means from one source of waste, we will be able to get more output. As the crop we intend to use sequesters more carbon than when utilised, it is sustainable.
We would also like to have space to plant woodland and grow some animal forage like Maize and Hay/Silage. Although we do not plan to have animals enter the food chain, animal waste is also good for use in compost, as a soil conditioner to help the ecosystem, soil life, microbes and wild yeasts. It is good as a plant feed. The other benefit is being able to breed animals that are in decline. Any animal we bring to the area will be rescued from slaughter and even though it will be free to roam for as much as regulations allow, we will give it a happy 'retirement'. Having taken over many wild areas for us to grow and live as a human species, we have a duty to feed animals whether farmed for food or not. Corn/Maize could also be used as a sacrificial crop. If we dump corn in a wildlife area, vermin would be more likely to gravitate towards there and keep away from what we will grow for food and also prevent damage to buildings by keeping them away.
I am sure our volunteers will come up with other useful things and ideas along the way.
The "thank you" giveaway
As 'Gardeners Retreat...' is a Project from Give2Grow, you can take advantage of the Give2Grow Monthly Giveaway.
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If you increase your Monthly Contribution, we will add Two Extra Entries in the Monthly Giveaway for every Extra #2.00 you add (Note: the 2.00 must be equal to £2, $2 or €2).
If you increase your Weekly Contribution, we will add Five Extra Entries in the Monthly Giveaway for every Extra #2.00 you add (Note: the 2.00 must be equal to £2, $2 or €2).
If you make your contribution 'Anonymous', then we will not be able to include you in the Giveaway as we will have access to your contact email to get in touch with you. But your support is much appreciated.
The more contributors we can get means we can do extra giveaways - which will increase your chances and unlock sponsorship to provide bigger prizes. You can win things ranging from Gift Cards to Property!
We do not take anything from what is given, all funds are used to develop this project. If you wish to support the small group of friends who volunteer their time to bring this project to life, please consider buying us a Coffee through Ko-Fi which also uses Stripe: https://ko-fi.com/give2grow