Urban food security, urban resilience and climate change - weADAPT

about what is possible and where it might be possible has not been forthcoming fromCouncil. This may well reflect a lack of communication between different sections ofCouncil. There is also evidence of a somewhat heavy handed regulatory approach,again compounded on occasions by poor communication. For example, in planning thefencing for their garden the group was required to obtain a number of quotes for theirpreferred fencing, but ultimately discovered, ‘..oh you can have any style of fence youwant, but it has to be three foot high with black mesh!’.The group also experienced significant problems in planning for toilet facilities, as oneof the designs presented to them (by one of the support officers) was for vegetablebeds accessible to people in wheelchairs. This in turn triggered a requirement toprovide a toilet accessible to disabled people and a debate about the scope forproviding a composting toilet that also met this requirement. The point is not that thegroup was opposed to making the garden accessible or that they were insistent on acomposting toilet, but rather that what was acceptable or not to the Council was nevermade entirely clear to the group.These issues were compounded by the group adopting a highly participatory style oforganisation, which of necessity required meetings of the membership to determinetheir requirements and preferences. Unsurprisingly, after over two years of planning fora community garden but not achieving one, the active membership of the groupdwindled to around 1020, out of a total membership of around 90. And some activemembers were concerned that their initial reasons for joining were not being fulfilled:I joined the garden to be outside and to talk to people; I seem to spend most ofmy time sitting in front of the computer screen doing the administration for it[Community gardener, Gold Coast].This short case study illustrates how the best of intentions from a variety of prospectivepartners do not always lead to successful outcomes and may even frustrate peoplewith valuable enthusiasm. If Gold Coast City Council is to realise its ambition ofsupporting a city wide network of productive and flourishing community gardens and toextend this support to other forms of urban agriculture then it must re-state the politicalcommitment to this aspect of its city building ambitions, ensure that different parts ofthe Council work more effectively together and allocate sufficient funds to make adifference. A review of local regulatory regimes to determine their impact on smallscale urban agriculture would also be welcome.8 Overcoming the barriersDespite the numerous barriers pointed out by participants to the development of urbanagriculture in the case study cities, they were able to suggest many ways of addressingthem. Common suggestions included: education about the practice of gardening at alllevels, integration of policies and activities by local governments, political leadership,funding and staff resources at local government level, diversification of activities,independence, collaboration and coordination.Education at all levels of society seems to be paramount for the development of betterurban agricultural practices. Politicians, public servants, NGO’s, gardeners, the generalcommunity, must all be educated about urban agriculture: its practices, requirements,Urban food security, urban resilience and climate change 141