Ballarat Permaculture Guild

Ballarat Permaculture Guild aims to increase home food production by: 1. organising a series of practical skill workshops, garden tours and similar events 2. establishing permablitz in the local region 3. using New Media to connect people with eachother and seasonal cycles Backyard Bountyis a project of the Ballarat Permaculture Guild designed to: The project is for 1 year.  Funding commenced December 2010 and the project worker was appointed Feb 3, 2011. Project Overview: The project comprises three related activities which will be undertaken simultaneously: 1) setting up a 'permablitz' network in Ballarat to facilitate community working bees to 'make over' home gardens for maximum food production based on permaculture design principles, 2) running a series of public workshop in specialist skill areas that are important to successful home food production (e.g. introduction to vegetable gardeing, setting up a home orchard, growing food on small plots, grafting, pruning, compost making, keeping chickens), and 3) experimenting with the use of new media/social networking sites as a means of keeping people informed and motivated toward home food production. The third part of the project explores how to connect people to the existing vast range of Internet-based information on home food production through methods such as regular FaceBook updates, links to YouTube videos on relevant skills and invitations to events or websites. Main beneficiaries: This project will target and primarily benefit residents of Ballarat and surrounding districts.  Permablitz activities will be within Ballarat and surrounding districts only.  Public training events will also primarily benefit the Ballarat community, but are also likely to support residents of towns within 100 km such as Daylesford, Castlemaine, Geelong, because they will be able to travel to attend specific events.  The third part of the project, using social networking sites as a catalyst for home food production an