Landshare : Connecting growers to people with land to share

Matchmaking service for gardeners to launch Australia wide in early 2011

Early next year Landshare Australia will be launching a social networking service introducing people wanting to grow fruit and vegetables but with nowhere to do it, to those with spare land.

Landshare Australia is based upon the hugely successful Landshare UK website launched last year by celebrity chef and ethical food warrior Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (River Cottage). The UK site is booming with over 57,000 growers, landowners and helpers registered to date and still growing. The UK team are also advising on the development of the Australian site.

“Public concern for ‘food miles’, mounting food prices and a desire to get back to old fashioned flavour has generated a dramatic rise in the numbers of people wanting to grow their own fruit and vegetables,” says gardening ‘guru’ Phil Dudman, one of a small team launching the service.

“The success and popularity of TV show Master Chef plus the endorsement of other celebrity chefs has inspired the ‘grow-your-own’ bug resulting in huge interest and confidence for home cooks recreating beautiful and tasty meals for their families.”

“But as the movement grows, backyards in Australia are getting smaller leaving thousands of would-be revolutionaries yearning for a piece of dirt on which to grow. That’s where Landshare Australia comes in,” Phil said. The key to its success will be the website and Landshare Australia is looking for supporters to help spread the word and sponsors to help it all happen.

“We plan to make Landshare Australia one of the leading websites for any Australian gardener not only providing the matchmaking service, but encouraging them to chat with other growers, obtain the very best growing advice from our veg ‘doctors’ and download ‘how to’ guides,” said Phil.

“With community support it will succeed and we’re hoping that with corporate support we can make it happen even faster right across Australia!” Landshare Australia will launch its website in February 2011 where people can register and post their particular need for a space to grow or offer land to share with interested gardeners. A website search will provide a selection of matches, contact is then made, terms are agreed and then growing gets going.

“The usual arrangement is that the gardener provides the landowner with a share of their produce so everyone wins. It’s as easy as that.”

“Obviously though, we need participants on ‘both sides of the fence’ – people who have a large backyard, hobby farms or rural properties to register as well as those who want to get a vegie garden going. We also need helpers, people who are not seeking land, but can offer help in some way, from answering gardeners’ questions online to helping out on the plot itself, ” adds Phil.

Phil Dudman’s own ‘patch’, the Northern Rivers, is the first area in Australia to launch Landshare Australia with participants already sharing in its first trial. “It is working well and we look forward to getting the word out to the rest of Australia from February 2011 onwards when the website is fully operational.

In the meantime people can register at the website www.landshareaustralia.com.au