Grow It Local makes an impact across the country

Grow It Local is a year-round program for councils and communities which supports Council’s key objectives relating to food waste diversion, positive sustainable living behaviours and local food systems, community engagement and capacity building climate change resilience, health and wellbeing, leadership and innovation.

This free online platform allows members to connect with other like-minded local growers who are passionate about all things home grown. Members can share knowledge, swap produce or seeds and discover new recipes. Free membership also gives growers access to an extensive library of online resources and workshops about growing their own produce. Members can receive free expert advice on topics such as composting, how to grow food in pots, veggie patch design and how to grow from seed.

Grow It Local’s annual impact report helps to quantify the impact of the platform on communities across the country. The impact report for 2021-2022 has just been published and provides a fascinating insight into the positive outcomes being achieved through the platform, which was established in 2012.

According to the 2021-2022 impact report, Grow It Local has 18,130 members nationally, 3,420 registered veggie patches and 868,897m2 under cultivation for growing food. More than 90,000 hours a week are being spent in the garden nationally and 26,008 kg of food waste is being diverted from landfill each week. The majority of members (83 per cent) are female and 15 per cent male (3 preferred not to say their gender). The majority of members (96 per cent) were interested in sharing their excess produce with others. The majority (95 per cent of growers excluding those ‘not growing yet’) said growing their own food provides a greater appreciation of the value, time and resources required. Respondents further noted that it also provides a sense of food security.

On a national level, the top five reasons for members getting involved are to learn more about growing edibles; to live more sustainably and positively impact climate change; to eat locally grown produce; to improve health and wellbeing and to connect with other local growers.

The top five reasons that members grow food include to grow healthy, chemical free food; to live more sustainably and positively impact climate change; for mental health and wellbeing; to reconnect with nature and because they just love plants.

Members are predominantly growing vegetables, fruit trees, herbs and ornamental flowers. Members are mostly growing this produce in their backyards, front yards, verge gardens and community gardens.

As of 17 October 2022, the City of Burnside has 302 members, 27 registered patches, and a total of 110 m2 under cultivation for growing food. In Burnside 214 members are either composting or worm farming, and 492 kg of food waste per week is being diverted from landfill.

The successful online platform is growing at a rapid rate, with an 81 per cent increase in members from the previous year (2020-2021). With 33 local government partners nationally (including the City of Burnside), the sky is the limit for Grow It Local.

City of Burnside residents can sign up on the Grow it Local website at https://www.growitlocal.com/register and register their veggie patch. It is important to provide as much detail as possible about your veggie patch, so that this data can be captured by Grow It Local in the year’s impact report.

Supported by Green Adelaide.

Images attributed to Green Adelaide.