BELLARINE AND GEELONG LANDCARE BEGIN LAND STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOPS

Bellarine Landcare Group and Geelong Landcare Network are kick-starting their Small Producers Workshop Series on Sunday 30 July as part of the Small Blocks Big Dreams project to empower small landholders to become land stewards.

The workshops focus on how landholders can best manage their properties and their environment simultaneously to create both healthy land and healthy produce.

The aim is to provide participants with environmental management knowledge and skills for them to better manage their land and develop their own property action plan.

The workshops will help to create a community of likeminded people with access to a network of information and guidance from other landholders and Landcare facilitators within their communities.

The Introductory Session will be held at Common Ground Project and involve a Welcome to Country, project overview and farm tour, courtesy of Felicity Jacob.

Felicity has played a big role in establishing the regenerative agriculture farm and community space in their mission to empower and connect people through food and farming.

Bellarine Landcare Group Vice-President, Kate Lockhart, says these workshops will provide practical skills around biodiversity, water, soil and weed management for local landholders.

“With the help of local producers and the Landcare team working on this, the workshops are a great chance for people to get an understanding of natural resource management on small farms or agribusinesses,” she said.

“Getting more landholders involved in sustainable agriculture is becoming more and more important, especially for our region, and we’re looking forward to helping people develop a stewardship plan for their chosen enterprise while supporting the environment.”

The Small Producer Workshop Series is one landholder group out of three that are part of the Small Blocks Big Dreams project, four workshops will run, approximately once a month until November.

The Small Blocks Big Dreams project is one of 11 Our Catchments, Our Communities regional on ground projects, funded by the Victorian Government to support catchment stewardship, health, and resilience.

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