New Zealand: A city farm with charm in suburban Auckland
Through rebuilding connections between our people and our food, we work to champion and demonstrate a regenerative local food system that supports climate change mitigation, urban resilience and community wellbeing.
By Jesse Mulligan
RNZ
3 December 2021
Excerpt:
For those living in central Auckland, it might be hard to imagine a farm in the midst of the city.
But, as Jesse just learned this week, an urban community farm is tucked away in the suburb of Ponsonby.
Andy Boor is the general manager of Kelmarna Gardens and he gave Jesse a tour of the farm today.
Andy talks to Jesse about his unique set up and his vision for the future.
Situated on 1.7 hectares (4.5 acres) of council-owned land, as part of Hukanui Reserve, Kelmarna is a busy, small farm, largely tucked away behind rows of houses on Hukanui Crescent and Kelmarna Avenue.
Kelmarna is Certified Organic through OrganicFarmNZ, and we use regenerative organic methods to build the health of our soil, water, and biodiversity, while sequestering carbon into our soils and growing nutrient-dense food for our community.
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Based on the principles of permaculture design, our small farm features a range of diverse farming operations that work together to form an integrated whole.
Each of our farming operations serves multiple purposes, forming the basis of our educational and therapeutic programmes, as well as generating income to cover some of our costs, and providing food for local people.
If you’d like to find out more about the role that animals play on the farm, please read our Animals in Permaculture page.
