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A simple but effective scheme that uses commercial food scraps from urban areas to improve rural soils hopes to expand into the Mahurangi area.
Called City to Farm, the project is Hibiscus Coast Zero Waste’s innovative solution to reduce the amount of food scraps that are binned and end up in landfill, where they generate methane. At the same time, it works on challenging clay soils, improving drainage and with it, flood and drought resilience. Biochar is also used, bringing multiple benefits for both soil building and compost production.
The project has been operating on the Hibiscus Coast for six years, where it has diverted more than 300 tonnes of food scraps.
Scraps which have been bokashi-composted are collected from local businesses (such as hospitality), preschools and retirement villages and taken to two Wainui farms where they are composted or placed into swales to improve soil. On one farm, the swales are feeding a thriving banana plantation. The fruit is sold back to City to Farm participants, and demand is high.
A similar scheme, the Green Loop, is currently being set up in Taranaki, using City to Farm as a model.
This year, Hibiscus Coast Zero Waste is working with the Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group on a related project, Rural Resilience, which uses the same City to Farm formula to help rural property owners improve unproductive or flood-prone land by on-farm composting and soil building.
An Ecofest workshop held in Wainui on April 5 explained the concept to more than 30 locals, as well as people from as far afield as Germany, Taranaki, Waipu and Maungaturoto. Participants included Trish Allen of Mahurangi Wastebusters.
After an introduction at Waitoki Hall, the group visited the two rural properties to see the composting in action, as well as spending time in the banana plantation. There was also a chance to learn about dung beetles and see the hard-working little critters in action.
Allen said the field day was a great opportunity to see the different composting methods demonstrated.
“Turning local food scraps into soil on local farms makes so much sense,” she says. “And by the addition of biochar, carbon is sequestered for hundreds of years. It would be great to see more farmers take up this opportunity.”
Auckland Council has recognised City to Farm as climate action, since topsoil building improves water infiltration, soaks in groundwater and lessens erosion, thereby buffering against climate extremes.
Hibiscus Coast Zero Waste’s Betsy Kettle says that the value of the scheme as climate action is paramount.
“Soil is the planet’s second largest carbon sink and as a community, and a government, we should be focused on how we can improve topsoil, and with it climate resilience,” she says.
The scheme is looking for more participants. For more information, email Betsy Kettle info@citytofarm.co.nz or visit www.citytofarm.co.nz
