rig news #16 – december 2011€¦ · methane emissions from livestock digestion, reduced...

RIG News #16 – December 2011 1

As we wind up for the year, RIG News #16 features three stories about enterprise opportunities of different scales that remote communities may plan for in the short to longer term: carbon farming, native seed collection and local ‘food’ micro-enterprise. This edition also features stories about professional development activities that RIG Network members have provided support to – the Rural Health Education Foundation’s Indigenous Health Programs and the EduGrow NT Remote School Gardens Workshop, along with news from ALPA and the Tiwi College about good things growing at the local level. Developments to support the Carbon Farming Initiative Qualifications for Carbon Offset Providers and Aggregators The Australian Government has introduced a carbon tax of $23/tonne which will come into force from 1 July 2012. Although the carbon price will not apply to agricultural emissions, it will enhance opportunities for farmers and land managers under the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). The CFI provides new economic rewards for farmers and landholders who take steps to reduce carbon pollution. It will do this by creating credits for each tonne of carbon pollution which can be stored or reduced on the land. Farmers and land managers will be able to generate income from credits for actions including reforestation and revegetation, reduced methane emissions from livestock digestion, reduced fertilizer emissions and native forest protection. A significant feature of the implementation plan is carbon skills. In collaboration with the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE), AgriFoods Skills Australia is developing a qualification for carbon offset providers and aggregators to ensure the quality of advice given to farmers optimizes the environmental and economic benefits they derive from participating in the CFI. It is anticipated the training package will be available in the latter half of 2012. The carbon skills component of the Implementation Plan will ensure that Australian farmers are informed

how to integrate carbon farming across current farming practice. Through the Indigenous Carbon Farming Fund, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders will receive assistance to participate in the CFI. Indigenous Australians manage around 20 per cent of Australia’s land mass, drawing on traditional knowledge of the landscape and its responses to fire, flood and drought. Complementary to the CFI is the new Biodiversity Fund which has been allocated $946 million over the first six years to support projects that establish, restore, protect or manage biodiverse carbon stores. The Biodiversity Fund will increase the resilience of Australia’s flora and fauna to the impacts of climate change, enhance the environmental outcomes of carbon farming projects, and help landholders to protect biodiversity and carbon values on their land.

Story and image kindly provided by Di Dibley, Consultant, Policy and Program Development, AgriFood Skills Australia.

RIG News #16 – December 2011

News from the Remote Indigenous Gardens Network – www.remoteindigenousgardens.net


Seed collection, sales and procurement – training and enterprise opportunities

Training for Collecting & Selling Native Seed Over the years Greening Australia has developed training modules on how best to collect and handle native seed for revegetation (http://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/index.php?nodeId=106). Courses are tailored to a range of needs. GA, through its Florabank service (http://www.florabank.org.au/) offers a four day course for professional seed collectors seeking to upgrade their skills with the latest from CSIRO and other researchers. GA also offers a one day course for community groups in farming areas of southern Australia. With support from AgriFoods Skills Australia (http://www.agrifoodskills.net.au/), GA has developed and piloted a two day course for seed buyers targeting the mining sector. Once the materials are finalised and approved by AgriFood Skills Australia, GA will market the course widely. For Indigenous Groups, Greening Australia has developed a seed collection unit as part of their Aboriginal Landcare Education Program (ALEP) (http://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/our-projects/people/aboriginal-landcare-education-program). This unit covers the collection, cleaning and storage of seed and is aimed at a 20 nominal teaching hours module. A useful companion module is ALEP Learning Guide # 3 which is about recognizing plants. The set of 14 ALEP Learning Guides were developed through many years of delivering land management training in remote Indigenous communities in the NT. The “Safe Houses” project is a recent example of where the training was provided in 16 remote NT communities in conjunction with the on-ground landscaping around the houses. The Learning Guides are aimed at Certificate Level 2 students but the content is relevant to other levels and informal training situations. A number of Indigenous communities have set up plant nurseries and collect their own seed to propagate through the nursery. There is an increasing interest in developing ‘bushtucker’ gardens both in communities and in schools. Greening Australia in Darwin has recently assisted a number of Darwin schools in the development of gardens that feature traditional food plants. Indigenous communities are in an excellent position to do contract seed collecting. They have access to their land and they are on the spot to monitor fruiting and seed ripening. This can be quite variable from year to year. Cleaned seed is quite variable in price and dependent on how easy it is to collect and how heavy the seed is. Hard to collect species can fetch up to several hundred dollars per kg of seed. Greening Australia NT is interested in purchasing local seed from Indigenous groups provided the seed meets our requirements. There are clear opportunities to partner in the provision of training and the development of income streams based on the natural resources on Indigenous land.

Story thanks to Dr Greg Leach, CEO, Greening Australia NT & David Freudenberger, Chief Scientist, Greening Australia. For further information on the ALEP Learning Guides contact GA in Darwin ([email protected] or 08 89473793).

Closing resource loops to create economic and environmental benefits

EcoMushroom micro-enterprise training and development Slay and Jasmin Herro are innovators for food sustainability. They are the proprietors of iSustainable Indigenous Corporation, a company that tackles ‘food security’ by providing training and inspiration to disadvantaged people in urban, rural and remote Australia. Their latest venture is EcoMushrooms, a 100% owned and operated Australian Indigenous business that is developing mushroom production using environmentally sustainable systems that use coffee grounds as the base growing medium.


In 2010 Jasmin and Slay were inspired by a presentation by Dr Gunter Pauli from the ZERI Foundation that was broadcast at the Australasian Permaculture Convergence in Cairns. In 2011 they had the opportunity to meet with Dr Pauli in Australia. This led them to arrange and sponsor a visit by Ms Chido Govera to provide training in simple, effective mushroom growing techniques. Chido, an exceptional young woman from Zimbabwe, has pioneered techniques that ‘work’ in disadvantaged and often very remote contexts by utilizing available organic mediums to grow and harvest mushrooms. Community members lead and facilitate local ‘train the trainer’ community learning. As Chido explained at a seminar she gave at Sydney University, many organic mediums often considered waste can be used to grow mushrooms – palm and banana leaves, straw, sawdust, cassava leaves, water hyacinth, coffee grounds….and you can start very ‘small’ with very modest mushroom houses.

Chido visited Sydney in November to provide training in the simplified techniques of growing mushrooms that she has developed through her work with the ZERI Foundation working with disadvantaged communities in Africa, Europe, South America and elsewhere. Chido worked with Slay and Jasmin and the team at the University of Sydney’s mushroom research unit with support from the Australian Mushroom Growers Association to demonstrate the step by step processes involved from planting the seed to harvest (a process that takes about six weeks). Two key stages are involved requiring different levels of technical skill – learning how to grow mushrooms from seed on the chosen medium; and then learning how to grow the mushroom seed in your local context. Diverse groups were involved in the training, including participants from Sydney’s TAFE Outreach Program, the Indigenous Communities Alliance and the Cabramatta Migrant Centre.

In addition to developing their own EcoMushrooms business, Jasmin and Slay are keen to work with and provide training support services to like minded groups who are looking to develop a business that can create employment and business opportunities for communities that really want and need them.

To learn more about EcoMushrooms visit http://www.ecomushrooms.com.au/index.html.To read about Chido Govera’s amazing personal journey and support the Foundation she has established visit http://www.ecomushrooms.com.au/chido.html and http://zeri.org/ZERI/Chido_Govero.html.

Left: Chido’s recent book, The Future of Hope – Message from an African Orphan to a World in Crisis, Right: Jasmin Herro, Chido Govera and Slay Herro in Sydney during Chido’s visit in November.

Six months ago ALPA’s Board of Directors requested ALPA to source and to sell fruit and veg and ornamental plants to customers in our remote community stores. ALPA started purchasing a small range of 12 plants from Darwin Plant Wholesalers in July. Our range is now up to 50 species, constantly changing with the seasons and to give customers variety so they don’t get bored with the same plants week after week. Our range consists of not only plants but seedlings, seeds and potting mixes. Our strategy was to keep range small initially as a trial to see how the plants would travel as some of the stores stock can be on the barge for up to 6 days. The initial trial surprised us all with the likes of the store at Galiwinku selling 60 plants in a half an hour, the plants weren’t even hitting our shop floor. Galiwinku since has a regular order of 2 pallets every 2 weeks. The other stores in the region are experiencing similar support for selling plants. It’s been very satisfying to drive around the community and see Yolŋu watering and looking after their gardens. Perhaps as a consequence we have also noticed less litter around and people seem to be showing a sense of pride and ownership of their homes. It’s great to see!!! Kim Reynolds, Operations/Merchandise Manager, Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA)

Local Enterprise ALPA Plant Sales

Pictured: Small hands push a trolley of mixed plants purchased from the ALPA store in Galiwinku.


Network News – EduGrow, CDU, 16 November, Charles Darwin University

EduGrow Remote School Gardens Workshop Meeting - NT Garden based learning offers students of all ages diverse benefits and this is particularly so for Indigenous students who may prefer visual, experiential and outdoor learning environments and for students who may possess special needs.

Across the country there is a groundswell of ‘kitchen garden’ school programs in urban and mainstream Australia where the value of school gardens as places for students to experientially learn about healthy diets and lifestyles, along with sustainability, science, literacy and numeracy is well recognized. In remote contexts, teachers who want to develop and maintain school and community gardens face a range of challenges and culturally specific opportunities – and their needs call for innovative local approaches, supported by knowledgeable local people.

In recognition of these needs and in response to the high level of interest expressed by NT remote teachers and other community development groups for better networking and support services for gardens, RIG Network and members of the EduGrow Workshop Organising Group convened a strategic stakeholders workshop in Darwin in November. The workshop brought people together to explore avenues to provide support to remote Northern Territory schools in order to assist them to increase opportunities for more students to enjoy the many life skill and curricula benefits of learning how to grow your own food.

Some 50% of Indigenous Territorians are under the age of 15. Action to help build upon local school garden success stories and to develop locally responsive models that incorporate due consideration of cultural differences, local resources, community development dynamics, and the educational challenges and priorities of remote school staff, have significant potential to help build better health and nutrition, education and participation outcomes. The workshop included a variety of presentations and discussion sessions that covered a range of strategic and practical topics. The overall aim was to share information, facilitate networking and to generate outcomes that respond to key needs identified by participants. Some 45 people from diverse sectors and schools attended and lively discussions and interactions enjoyed. An Outcomes Report has been distributed to participants along with the EduGrow Useful Resources Guide that draws together information about relevant resources and garden learning models that are available from interstate and overseas. This will be soon be made available on the RIG Network website on the EduGrow page. The workshop was made possible with the support of the EduGrow Workshop Organising Group, the Fred Hollows Foundation who provided financial support to assist the facilitators to attend and for the workshop proceedings to be documented, and the Jimmy Little Foundation who provided valuable in-kind support to the EduGrow initiative.

Network News – Indigenous Health, Nutrition and Good Food CPD

Rural Health Education Foundation – Indigenous Programs Eat Strong documentary adds flavour to the Foundation’s Indigenous Nutrition Project The Rural Health Education Foundation will broadcast on 14th February 2012 the second program in their Indigenous Nutrition Project. The program, Eat Strong: Good Food for Health, will be a half hour documentary showcasing health promotion and community development programs in rural and remote Australia with the aim to improve the health and nutrition in Indigenous communities. It can be watched via the Rural Health Education satellite television network, on NITV, or webstreamed.

This program follows on from the Good Tucker: Improving Indigenous Health webcast which was held 6th December 2011. Visit http://www.rhef.com.au/programs/program-1/?program_id=575 for more information about this 90 minute program – and contact the RHEF to receive a free DVD of it.

Eat Strong: Good Food for Health Program webpage: http://www.rhef.com.au/programs/program-1/?program_id=581 Tuesday 14th February 2012 – Optus Aurora Channel 4 8:00pm NSW, VIC, TAS & ACT 7.30pm SA 7.00pm QLD 6.30pm NT 5.00pm WA and 8.00pm WA on Westlink Channel 23

Repeated Friday 17th February 2012 at 12:30 AEDT on Westlink Channel 23


Program Information Join Daniel Browning as he showcases some great health promotion and community development programs in rural and remote Australia that aim to improve health and nutrition in Indigenous communities. Featured programs include: Tucker Buddies, Bulla Community, Northern Territory; Bulgarr Ngaru Medical Aboriginal Corporation Fruit and Vegetable Program, Grafton, Maclean and Yamba, NSW; and Horticulture Course and Community Garden Project: Kimberley Training Institute, Broome Campus, WA. Daniel also discusses the issues with Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver, Director of the Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit, University of NSW and Anthea Fawcett, Founder and Director of the Remote Indigenous Gardens Network.

How to view - There is no cost to view this program. The program can be viewed: · at a satellite viewing site - click http://www.rhef.com.au/viewing-sites to find a site located near you · on NITV http://www.nitv.org.au · online by clicking the ‘view high res’ or ‘view low res’ button on the program’s webpage – http://www.rhef.com.au/programs/program-1/?program_id=581 The program will also be available on DVD and is free to order through the program’s webpage - http://www.rhef.com.au/programs/program-1/?program_id=581. This program is accredited with leading professional organisations. Complete the evaluation form online or the printable form on the Professional Development webpage http://www.rhef.com.au/accreditation/evaluation-forms/

The Indigenous Nutrition Project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing with additional funding from the St. George Foundation and The Marian and E.H Flack Trust. Rural Health Education Foundation www.rhef.com.au.

Network News – Innovative partnerships

Tiwi College Sustainability initiatives Tiwi College, located at Pickertaramoor on Melville Island is an exciting development designed to provide quality secondary education for all Tiwi young people. The college is owned and operated by the Tiwi people. The policy making body is the Tiwi Education Board, consisting of eight Tiwi men. This initiative is the fulfillment of a dream for the Tiwi Islands to have their own College. Tiwi College is a remote Aboriginal Secondary Boarding School and a day school for a small number of Primary children. The students are picked up from communities across Melville and Bathurst Island each Monday and brought to the College to participate in 24-hour holistic learning. They return each Friday, many crossing Apsley Strait by ferry to Bathurst Island, after a 40 minute trip in a 4WD Troop Carrier. Many of the students belong to a growing cohort who have experienced disadvantage in terms of health and education services and future prospects in comparison to their peers in mainstream Australia. The College provides an opportunity for those students who are happy to leave their immediate community and be at boarding school while still on the traditional lands of the Tiwi Islands. The College provides a supportive and nurturing environment for schooling that develops the student’s sense of self-worth, enthusiasm for learning and optimism for the future. Developing close partnerships with training providers and Island industries offer students opportunities for pathways into careers and secure futures. In conjunction with the launch of Matthew Hayden’s Television show ‘Matthew Hayden’s Home Ground’ centered on the concept of self-sustainability, Matthew and The Hayden Way are assisting the College in establishing its own sustainable food program. Continued implementation of the initiative and education of the community will be overseen by a full-time, onsite agriculture expert in association with Matthew and The Hayden Way. The College program will include the following:

• planting fruit, vegetable and grain crops; • introducing poultry for consumption and sale across the Islands; and • establishing an aquaculture of farmed Barramundi.

Sports Facility: Initial funding from Macquarie Foreign Exchange has allowed the installation of a turf cricket pitch and concrete practice nets and fencing. Additional funding raised has allowed for upkeep of the facilities along with further purchase of training equipment and high level coaches. Sustainability Program: Currently the College imports 100% of all food either frozen or cold stored. The necessity of air-freighting the goods to the College means a 300% mark-up on mainland prices.

For further information visit: http://tiwi.communityengine.com/


News & Announcements, Useful Resources….. New Chairperson for AMSANT elected AMSANT media release dated 2 November 2011. ‘The Annual General Meeting of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory [AMSANT] has elected a new Chairperson, CEO John Paterson said today. “Paula Arnol, CEO of the Danila Dilba Health Service in Darwin, was elected unanimously,” he said. “She faces the hardest job in Aboriginal health in the Territory, representing our diverse Membership, from urban centres to some of the most remote health services in the nation. It involves lobbying and advocacy work locally as well as nationally, and involves a high level of commitment on top of her work at Danila Dilba.” Ms Arnol said that taking on the role of chairing AMSANT was both a challenge and opportunity to advance the Aboriginal community controlled primary health sector in the Northern Territory. Full text is available at http://www.amsant.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83&Itemid=60. New web-based Community Water Planner launched on the internet - HealthInfoNet You can log in to the tool and develop your own water safety plan for a remote community. (You have to register first.)You can access the Water Planner from our website (Click on ‘View resource’): http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/key-resources/promotion-resources?lid=22079 WA ‘Storybook’ – effective health and environmental health stories - HealthInfoNet A new Indigenous ‘Storybook’ has just been released in WA. It is full of stories about health projects in the Kimberley and Pilbara that worked really well. Some of the stories are about environmental health. You can access the storybook from the HealthInfoNet website (click on ‘View book’): http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/key-resources/bibliography/?lid=22178 Look at these pages for environmental health stories:

• P 4, Building better roads (dust suppression, Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation, Broome) • P 14, Car bodies collection (waste management, Shire of Derby/West Kimberley) • P 22, Let’s work together (dog management, Pilbara Meta Maya Aboriginal Corporation) • P 36, Working together to make communities healthier (infectious disease prevention, Ord Valley AHS & amp; Kimberley PHU, Kununurra) • P 38, A journey in dog health (dog management, Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation, Broome)

Rural Health on the ABC The Western Desert dialysis project (The Health Report) http://abcmail.net.au/t/1563724/614869/31262/0/ Bush Support Services (formerly Bush Crisis Line) - 1800 805 391 The Bush Support Services Line is a 24 hour confidential telephone support service for workers, and their families, who work in health related services in remote and isolated situations. It is staffed by qualified psychologists with remote and cross cultural experience, is toll free and available from anywhere in Australia. For more information: http://www.bss.crana.org.au Get Regional Get Regional is the new information and referral service for people living and working throughout country Australia. Engaging and interacting rural, regional and remote communities, via dynamic interactive technologies, to ensure a more sustainable future for the bush. The most up-to-date and independent information service with a wide range of broadcast distribution services. http://getregional.com.au Coming Events…. So many possible events to list…here are a few early in 2012 that may interest you. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Leadership - Strengthening leadership to 'Close the Gap' Citigate Central, Sydney, NSW, 5 - 16 Feb 2012 http://indigenousleaders.com/ National Close the Gap Day - Power through Partnership, Thursday 22 March Get involved in National Close the Gap Day and join the thousands of people and organisations around Australia holding events to raise awareness of the Indigenous health crisis. You can register your event at http://www.oxfam.org.au/nctgd. Hosting an event is easy. Register online and Oxfam Australia sends you everything you need, including posters, a DVD specially made for the day and even a Close the Gap t-shirt. Resources will be sent out in February. Events can take place in homes, workplaces, schools, universities, medical centres or wherever you think people may be interested in finding out more about the Close the Gap campaign. The events can be large or small, formal or informal and can follow whatever format best suits you. …..Why not build an event with community members to link with & celebrate your local food or garden project?


That’s all from RIG Network for 2011!

Warm thanks to everyone who has joined the network, participated in RIG

Network events and activities, or contributed to RIG News in 2011.

There are great projects, enterprises, community stories and gardens growing out there – let’s keep connecting and working to build upon them

for better health, wealth and wellbeing.

We look forward to sharing news and ideas, and working with you on local projects and programs in 2012.

Wishing you and yours happy & safe holidays Please forward feedback and suggestions for the next RIG News to [email protected]

If you would like to be removed from the RIG News email list, please tell us so by emailing us, as above.

RIG News is written and produced by Anthea Fawcett for RIG Network. RIG Network is a project initiative of Southern Exchange, Sydney, 5A Duke Place, Balmain, NSW, 2041

REMOTE INDIGENOUS GARDENS NETWORK – RIG NETWORK WHAT? RIG Network is a national information sharing, networking and research initiative. Our core programs are: i) Networking and information sharing – the RIG website, RIG News, community workshops. ii) Strategic research, advocacy and outreach projects. WHY? To help address food insecurity in remote areas – social & economic development - local action for more affordable & accessible fresh food – health & nutrition - sustainable livelihoods, better resource use & lower food miles - ‘fusion’ gardens, bush foods, fruit & veg & other food production – enterprise development & employment - life skills & skills for employment – caring for culture & country, capacity building & cultural respect . HOW? Strategic projects – useful information & resources, case studies, contacts - new cross-sectoral conversations & partnerships – industry & community linkages - better practice - advocacy, applied research & outreach.


We acknowledge and warmly thank RIG Partner Organisations & Sponsors RIG Partner Organisations

Centrefarm Aboriginal Horticulture Limited Charles Darwin University Horticulture Aquaculture Group

In-Scape-Out Living Systems Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation CDEP

CuriousWorks Savanna Solutions Pty Ltd

Significance Heritage & Archaeology

RIG – Sponsors

Darwin Regional Indigenous Advancement & CDEP Inc. Marra Worra Worra Aboriginal Corporation CDEP

rig news #16 – december 2011€¦ · methane emissions from livestock digestion, reduced...

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