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Grow Your Way Out of The Recession
Fresh from the Sea author Clodagh McKenna with GIY Ireland founder Michael Kelly at a photocall to announce details of the launch of GIY Ireland. Photo Credit: Nicky Fortune
Ardkeen Quality Food Store is proud to sponsor the very first GIY Conference
Founder and owner of Ballymaloe Cookery School, Darina Allen, will talk about the “lost art” of growing your own food at the launch of GIY (Grow it Yourself) Ireland on September 12th. Ireland’s most famous chef, whose new book Forgotten Skills of Cooking is released in the autumn, believes that forgotten skills such as vegetable growing are a practical and proactive way to deal with the recession. “As food has become more and more convenient, we have become increasingly de-skilled,” she says. “Being able to cook or grow things was almost looked down upon and seen as having a lesser value than work. People have been so focussed on careers and academia that they missed out on learning the skills that would really help them through these difficult times.”
GIY Ireland is a national not-for-profit organisation which is trying to inspire people to grow their own food and give them the skills they need to do so successfully. The organisation, established by journalist and author Michael Kelly, aims to establish GIY groups in every town in Ireland. Hundreds of people are already involved in existing GIY groups where activities include monthly meetings, talks and demos, garden visits, seed and plant swaps, produce bartering, mentor panels and grower’s meitheals. GIY meetings are free and open to people interested in food growing at all levels, i.e. from growing a few herbs on the balcony to complete self-sufficiency, from beginners to old hands.
Darina Allen has been supporting GIY Ireland since its foundation and believes the organisation is doing vital work in helping Irish people get back to basics. “Getting people together in a GIY group is a brilliant idea. It gives them a sense of camaraderie and shared experience in the joy of vegetable growing. But it also gives them the skills they need to grow successfully. Having a GIY group in every town in Ireland would mean that anyone who wants to grow their own will have a place to go where they can meet like-minded people and learn from them. That will be invaluable.”
GIY founder Michael Kelly says that growing your own food is about taking back control in a world that feels increasingly out of control. “There are so many problems in the world today that we are completely powerless about – the state of our economy, swine flu, global warming, even the miserable summer weather. But we are not powerless when it comes to food security, food quality and food costs. We can go out today or tomorrow or this weekend, stick a seed in the ground and watch it grow. That’s the beauty of growing your own – it is utterly proactive.”
GIY Ireland is looking for local champions around Ireland to set up a GIY group in their area and will give them all the help they need to get a sustainable, successful group up and running. The organisation’s launch takes place on September 12th in Waterford Institute of Technology and other speakers include Fresh from the Sea author Clodagh McKenna, grow-your-own pioneer Joy Larkcom, Minister for Food and Horticulture Trevor Sargent and self-sufficiency guru Will Sutherland. There will also be talks on allotments, community gardens, nutrition, seed-saving and permaculture. Tickets which cost €35 include a seasonal dinner and are available to buy from www.giyireland.com. The GIY launch is part of Slow Food Ireland’s Waterford Harvest Festival which includes a ‘Harvest Feast’ in the city on the Saturday evening and a farmer’s market in the city centre on Sunday 13, September.
Last Edited: 8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM
