Idealog.co.nz | The Transformation Issue
089
urban farming
SOWING POSITIVE FUTURES
CLOCKWISE
FROM TOP:
The Cultivate
Christchurch garden,
vegetables being
harvested.
W
hile a number of urban farms have been
developed throughout New Zealand, Cultivate
is on a bigger scale than its contemporaries
and has become more established.
It’s also no community garden. Rather than
being just a green use of space in Christchurch’s
rejuvenating CBD, Cultivate is also a social project
designed to create pathways for vulnerable New
Zealanders to enter the workforce.
The meeting of co-founders Bailey Peryman and Fiona
Stewart on this project was serendipitous. While Bailey
Peryman, the ecologist, had a tonne of skills in the produce
department, he knew he wanted to make the urban farm
idea more than just a food source. That’s where youth
advocate Fiona Stewart came in.
The pair were individually recipients of the Vodafone
New Zealand Foundation World of Difference grants for
separate business ideas, and alumni were encouraged tohow a christchurch urban farm leads
vulnerable people into the workplace
Urban farming is nothing new, as evidence
of the practice can be found in heritage sites
like Machu Picchu. However, the trend has
picked up more around the world in recent
years and with the majority of the world’s
population now based in cities, urban farming
is a creative antidote to the negative side
effects of rural produce farming as the world
faces water shortages and a lack of arable
land. Caitlin Salter talks to the founders
of Cultivate in Christchurch who are doing
much more than cultivating the land – they’re
supporting the community while they’re at it.