New Zealand: Yes, that is a farm in the middle of Wellington
For starters, urban soil is obviously markedly different from agriculture soil. “Improving soil health is going to be an ongoing thing, but we think about it in a long-term way.
By Mei Leng Wong
NZ Gardener
Mar 06 2023
Excerpt:
Kaicyclists collect food scraps with e-bikes and trailers from 160 household and office sites across Wellington. An additional 65 customers drop their food waste to one of three drop-off points around the capital city.
These food scraps are combined with carbon-rich green waste and composted at the farm. The ratio of ingredients, temperature and moisture of the compost boxes are carefully monitored by compost managers to producea quality product – what the folks at Kaicycle call “living compost” because it’s pumping with soil biology.
In summary, “the farm is a visible, productive and education space that champions waste reduction, that’s also accessible and next to a bus route, and 15 minutes from the centre of town,” says farm manager Thomas Zahner.
A model not unlike Auckland’s Organic Market Garden, it aims to showcase how innovative urban farms can be a true alternative to industrial agriculture, and can lower the high environmental impact of standard, accepted food distribution networks.
This visibility helps Kaicycle attract volunteers outside of their immediate area “because they know we’re here running sessions every week,” says Thomas. “We’re not little bits of home gardens put together. Our regenerative farming methods are up to date with current literature and the growing techniques are scaleable. It’s a great model for food security.”
