Ready, Set, Grow! Kick-start your urban gardening journey while learning valuable skills like systems thinking & design
Following the launch of our latest handbook, Opening the Black Box, we want to equip our community of changemakers with an opportunity to apply their new systems-thinking knowledge to a real-world situation. So, through our Fixing Food initiative, we’re offering a FREE resource and DIY action-plan to apply systems-thinking while creating a more sustainable lifestyle: through permaculture!
Fixing Food is an impact initiative by the Humanitarian Changemakers Network that takes a unique approach to making a positive impact on the global food system by empowering changemakers with systems thinking tools so they can think critically and solve current challenges around sustainability, ethics, and health. By equipping individuals and groups alike with these skills, the initiative empowers local communities and people across the world to embrace self-sufficiency and taking local action to fix the existing inequities found within communities and ecosystems. We’re making it even easier for our community to learn systems thinking and their local food system, through Fixing Food’s Get Growing permaculture course & club.
Why Permaculture
Permaculture is an innovative method of growing food and managing systems that emphasises sustainability. At its core, permaculture seeks to emulate natural systems while utilising human knowledge and systems-thinking to create ecosystems in which humans and nature can live in harmony. By studying nature, permaculture practitioners gain insight into how we can replicate naturally occurring systems – like rainwater collection systems, organic farming methods, agroforestry systems – that mimic the self-sustaining benefits found in ecosystems both large and small. Permaculture also encompasses important philosophies about living peacefully alongside other living beings and systems in the world, making it an invaluable tool for many things including gardening, land management, water systems and more!
Not only does permaculture offer a way to live more sustainably, become less reliant on our global food system, and connect with your local community and ecosystem, it’s also an exciting way to engage in hands-on project based learning.Through this process of designing and managing natural systems, you not only become less reliant on the global food system but also gain valuable skills in observation, problem solving, and systems analysis – all incredibly useful skills when taking on any social justice challenge.
Lead by HCN founder and systems thinking practitioner Tiyana J, she will be using some of the systems thinking concepts outlined in Opening the Black Box, and sharing her own journey to apply permaculture design principles to her home.
Join the club!
Urban gardening can seem overwhelming at first, but with a determined attitude, anyone can become an urban gardener in no time! It doesn’t have to be intimidating or too much effort; even simply committing to growing three new plants a month is enough to start. And there’s no need to go it alone – with our network of changemakers, you’ll find the perfect community for exchanging knowledge, tips, and ideas about gardening. So don’t worry if you’re just getting started – with just a bit of effort each month and get help from others, you’ll soon take charge of your urban garden dreams!
To follow along, you can purchase your own seeds locally, swap them with neighbours, or get them delivered to your door with our monthly Seed Club subscription. Not only will we deliver all your learning resources to your inbox, but you have the option of getting the monthly seeds delivered to your mailbox! When you subscribe to the Seed Club, you’ll also receive a copy of our ebook Opening The Black Box, so that you can start learning all about systems thinking and systems change… it’s a valuable skill for anyone’s change-making toolkit, as you’ll be able to apply whole systems thinking & design to any issue you wish to tackle in your changemaking journey.
So if you’re ready to take your changemaking journey to the next level, join the Get Growing Club and access a like-minded community of changemakers, and let’s get growing!