| Daryl Hannah visits our farmers |
| Written by Michele Dale | ||||
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Daryl Hannah and a group of enthusiastic permaculture students visited farmers in the Wet Tropics and Northern Gulf regions in September to get a glimpse of some of the sustainability initiatives undertaken by regional communities and the organisations that support them (such as Terrain NRM, Northern Gulf Regional Management Group, and Cape York Natural Resource Management). Ben Paggioli shared his insights for the future of his multicrop farm (potatoes, maize and corn) to reduce his impact on the land and improve water quality, whilst saving money in the longer term. Daryl and her friends were impressed with Ben's leadership in thinking outside the square and applying cutting edge technology and smart management practices.
Allan and Ron Bonadio presented a site at their corn farm located on the Barron River where major tree planting has been undertaken as part of the Green Corridor Project. They are diversifying into ecotourism attracting visitors to see the wildlife, whilst providing important corridor linkages for threatened native animals and restoring the vulnerable Mabi forest. Further sites visited in the Northern Gulf included a significant composting facility in Mareeba and a smoking ceremony at Mt Mulligan broadening their appreciation for traditional owners' relationship with the land.Daryl is a committed environmental activist and encourages others to get on board. She said, "Congratulations to you all for the hard work you are doing for our environment". |
