When Erika Hamilton looks back on all that they’ve achieved in the Alice Springs Community Gardens network in such a short period of time, she swells with pride.
The Business Manager at the Arid Lands Environment Centre in Alice Springs can see clearly how the gardens have nurtured her community in the face of climate insecurity, strengthening their drought preparedness.
“We went for the FRRR grant to help pay for a Coordinator to come in and to work with those two community gardens to help develop systems, so that they could be independent and sustainable,” Erika said.
“It was also about community engagement and learning opportunities for people to learn about gardening and food production, reducing the reliance on supermarkets, particularly in a barren, arid area like Alice.
“That Coordinator worked with us for six months and the goal for that position was instead of looking at the two gardens as silos, looking at them together and the broader community impact that they could have.”
Both community gardens in the network focus on growing a sustainable food supply. As well as the Coordinator, the $50,000 grant from FRRR also provided workshops and events that the community helped design – such as curry nights, film screenings and choir sessions in the gardens.
It’s given participants confidence that they can overcome any future climate challenges, with their enhanced food security.
“Particularly out here, where we had a very dry hot summer this year, but two summers before that we had a lot of rain. There was a lot of rain above us and below us and washed out the Stuart Highway twice. So, we were cut off.
“There was six weeks where you just didn’t know what you were going to be able to get from Woollies or Coles, because it was just really unpredictable.”
“While that is the challenging nature of living in such an isolated desert environment, having an active and connected network of people sharing knowledge about food insecurity means they are less susceptible to these extreme weather events.”
Program Outcomes
- PO1 Improved communication, social connection, and collaboration within and between communities to support drought preparedness;
- PO7 Community based networks that strengthen drought resilience are expanded, diversified or created.
Contribution towards to all five intermediate outcomes, to a large extent:
- There is an increase in the reach and activities of community leaders, mentors, networks and organisations driving action on drought resilience.
- There is a change in awareness of and attitudes to drought preparedness at the community level.
- Communities experience improved cohesion and belonging that supports an ability to prepare for drought.
- Communities have strong adaptive capacity and are empowered to respond to drought.
- Communities have effective networks and resources that support local responses to drought.
Contribution to both long term outcomes to a large extent:
- Stronger connectedness and greater social capital within communities, contributing to wellbeing and security.
- Communities implement transformative activities that improve their resilience to drought.
And, with long term benefits such as a better ongoing relationship with the local Council, which now pays the gardens to run community workshops, Erika is confident that regular income will help ensure the project is more sustainable into the future, to continue to meet the needs of a community facing climate insecurity in the arid zone and an increased susceptibility to drought.