City Council rejects call to plant fruit trees and vegetables patches throughout the city, North Adelaide
Adelaide City councillors have rejected a call for our parklands to be filled with fruit trees and vegies patches.
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A city councillor’s call to grow publicly accessible fruit trees and vegetable patches across the parklands, public gardens and reserves has failed to take root.
Adelaide City Council last night rejected Cr Robert Simms’ fruit and vegie vision, which he had hoped would improve food security and promote self sufficiency amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
An advertiser.com.au poll yesterday found 79 per cent of almost 600 voters supported Cr Simms’ plan. Add your vote below.
But councillors voted 6:4 against the proposal, with Cr Jessy Khera describing it as a “Kath and Kim motion” – a case of “look at me, look at me”.
He said the council already provided herbs and vegetables through community gardens and to provide food security for local residents would need “acres and acres of farm land”.
“It’s an absolute ridiculous joke. Food security is not actually the current problem at the moment,” Cr Khera told the meeting.
“We are blessed with incredible resources when it comes to farmland.
“Do not indulge this … all you’ll end up doing is causing, again, unnecessary bureaucratic churn at a time when we do not need this… an unnecessary waste of resources.”
Cr Mary Courous said it was an unnecessary expense at this time.
“I don’t mind if we bring it (the motion) back after the crisis,” Cr Courous.
Cr Anne Moran said it was a “lovely motion”.
Cr Simms’ scheme would have mimicked one in British Columbia, Canada, where the City of Victoria grows food in public spaces for its residents.
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Speaking before last night’s meeting, Cr Simms said to walk through the Adelaide parklands and be able to access fruit, vegetables and other edible plants and herbs would be a “really fantastic thing”.
“We are surrounded by beautiful parklands, they play a critical social function,” Cr Simms said yesterday.
“(The scheme) is a really great way of activating the parklands and also providing a bit more food security for people living locally.”
The council would have had to ensure plants and trees were hardy and easily maintained, he said.