Former city local wins big in Oslo gardening competition
THERE’S a secret ingredient to producing a great farm, according to this Toowoomba local.
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And that ingredient is plain, simple teamwork.
Since childhood, Natalie Keene has always had a green thumb and a passion for growing fresh produce.
Her early years were spent in her Mt Lofty backyard with her dad, a farmer, and her mum, another keen gardener, learning the tricks of the trade.
Now, four years after moving to Oslo, Norway, Ms Keene has taken home a unique award for her work managing a community-operated farm Kirkeby andelslandbruk.
Ms Keene said she was nominated for the “best community garden” at the Oslo garden competition by several community members who had seen and admired her work.
She was given the accolade by the Mayor of Oslo, Marriane Borgen, in a COVID-safe award ceremony.
Ms Keene operates the farm under the Community Support Agriculture initiative in Oslo, where farm owners hire a board of community members to run the property, creating an inclusive, functional environment.
Ms Keene manages it with her husband, Morten Lønmo.
“I plan the farm, the crops and the pathways and the activities knowing that people who aren’t used to walking around a farm will visit often, because the unique thing is all my approximately 300 members pick their own food,” she said.
“I don’t harvest or wash anything for anyone else.
“I send out an email once a week to everyone telling them where things are on the field, how to harvest, how much they can take, and maybe even throw in a few recipe ideas too.”
Along with moving to Norway to be with her husband, the free university courses and rich agricultural history drew the agroecology student to Norway.
Achieving the award was not an easy feat, however.
Norway experiences short summers, wet autumns, and long, dark winters – nightmares for a thriving farm.
What sets Kirkeby andelslandbruk apart despite the challenges, according to Ms Keene, is the fresh produce and its capacity for social gatherings.
“I think the judges decided we were the best community garden because we really focus on creating a social meeting place for people to come, be outside, enjoy all the flowers and around 50 types of veggies and herbs that we have,” Ms Keene said.
“To me however the food is the focus – it’s the real star of the farm.
“We produce serious amounts of food for a lot of people.”
Farming in Toowoomba and Oslo are entirely different worlds, according to Ms Keene.
What remains the same, however, is the camaraderie between those who work on the farms, and who put in years of work to make the farm functional and safe.
“The concept of the Norwegian ‘dugnad’ is not wholly captured by the best translation into English I can find, working bee,” she said.
“A dugnad is more than that.
“It’s culturally ingrained to help out your neighbours to build a house, or to harvest all the potatoes at once when a dugnad is called … Working with big groups of office workers happy to be outside with their kids is fantastic.”
