These young green thumbs are ready to develop a 'food forest' for their community

Children and teens in Dubbo will plant a "food forest" and then sell their fruits and vegetables to local shops and restaurants, in a new project designed to foster invaluable life skills.
Key points:Children will cultivate an edible ecosystem in Dubbo The project is run by LeaderLife, a charity that works with young peopleOnce up and running, the children will sell their fruits and vegetables to local shops
The project will be run by the charity LeaderLife, which works with young people from predominantly Indigenous families around Dubbo.
The organization has received $450,000 in funding from the state government to build a "syntropic farm" - an edible ecosystem farm grown under a canopy.
Eight-year-old gardening guru Savannah Walsh will be one children who will help build the farm from scratch.
Savannah inherited her green thumbs from her mother Leah, who in turn learned everything she knew from her mother.
,Shakayla Joh Leader, Savannah Walsh, Aaliyah Bamblett and Kathryn Peters.(ABC Western Plains: Kenji Sato)
"In my old house we grow strawberries and watermelons," Savannah said. .
"I put the seeds in and bury them in soil and water."
LeaderLife founder Joh Leader, a local farmer, said learning how to live off the land was also a way to learn invaluable life skills.
Children of LeaderLife will be tasked with cultivating a food forest. (ABC Western Plains: Kenji Sato)
< p class="_39n3n">She said teenagers would learn to drive in the farm environment and children would learn business acumen by selling their produce in stores and farmers markets, while cultivating a sense of pride in their work.

"Growing produce is a really cool thing for kids...it's a sustained pathway for young people to acquire these soft skills early on in the labor market," said Ms Leader.
"The big dream is our young pe other young people in the community how to do it."
Taje Fowler, Tre Dixon, Kathryn Peters, Savannah Walsh, Joh Leader, David Peters,...

Agrotech Jan 29, 2023 0 102 Add to Reading List

These young green thumbs are ready to develop a 'food forest' for their community

Children and teens in Dubbo will plant a "food forest" and then sell their fruits and vegetables to local shops and restaurants, in a new project designed to foster invaluable life skills.

Key points:Children will cultivate an edible ecosystem in Dubbo The project is run by LeaderLife, a charity that works with young peopleOnce up and running, the children will sell their fruits and vegetables to local shops

The project will be run by the charity LeaderLife, which works with young people from predominantly Indigenous families around Dubbo.

The organization has received $450,000 in funding from the state government to build a "syntropic farm" - an edible ecosystem farm grown under a canopy.

Eight-year-old gardening guru Savannah Walsh will be one children who will help build the farm from scratch.

Savannah inherited her green thumbs from her mother Leah, who in turn learned everything she knew from her mother.

An adult and a group of children hold up vegetables

"In my old house we grow strawberries and watermelons," Savannah said. .

"I put the seeds in and bury them in soil and water."

LeaderLife founder Joh Leader, a local farmer, said learning how to live off the land was also a way to learn invaluable life skills.

< p class="_39n3n">She said teenagers would learn to drive in the farm environment and children would learn business acumen by selling their produce in stores and farmers markets, while cultivating a sense of pride in their work.

"Growing produce is a really cool thing for kids...it's a sustained pathway for young people to acquire these soft skills early on in the labor market," said Ms Leader.

"The big dream is our young pe other young people in the community how to do it."