Where: Drysdale, City of Greater Geelong, Wadawurrung Country
Who: Founded by James McLennan and Ben Shaw
James, how many schools are involved at present?
We are currently working with one school, Bellarine Secondary College in Drysdale, and we are well on our way to spreading the program to other schools.
How does it work?
We enter into an agreement with a school, requiring a minimum of one acre (around half a hectare) of land. We employ a farmer to grow the vegetables using regenerative practices. This means no tilling, no spraying, green-manure crops, composting, and encouraging biodiversity in the soil and with the plants. We sell the food first to the school community in vegetable boxes. We also supply the school canteen for healthy lunches – for example, at Bellarine Secondary College they use the rainbow chard we grow to make spanakopita instead of ordering it in. The rest of the produce is sold to the local community via the box scheme. We also hold the occasional pop-up market during peak harvest times in late summer and autumn.
What are you growing?
In our disused soccer pitch, we are growing a huge amount of fruit and vegetables – more than 50 different crops. Carrots and beets thrive here, and over winter and spring our brassicas, such as Romanesco and sprouting broccoli, have been very successful, along with kohlrabi and fresh leafy greens. During summer, our tomatoes are flourishing.
How do the students connect?
Farm My School is an agriculture and horticulture elective in year 10, an introductory course to Vocational Education and Training. Students learn everything from propagation to seed collection and soil health. We also offer adult courses covering farming, food, and cooking workshops using the school facilities after hours. One series is called Nourish, which focuses on preserving fruit and vegetables, cooking on a budget, and making the most of seasonal produce when there is an abundance. We also invite other schools’ cohorts to learn about regenerative farming.
How do we connect?
Head to our website to shop, book courses, or even participate at a corporate level.