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Sustain: the Australian Food Network

Save Oakhill Food Justice Farm - & support new urban farmers


Systemic change requires us to bring people together, talk about big ideas, create new policy, and empower local action. In addition to bringing together government, academics and producers, we are working in our local community to make change in our food system. 

Oakhill Farm is a community space and food forest in the heart of Preston. 

Located in a formerly disused vicarage, the ‘Oakhill Food Justice Farm’ is Sustain’s second urban farm in Melbourne and represents an important next step in realising the city-wide vision of a thriving Urban Farm and Food Justice Training Network.

As a 'food is free' initiative, 100% of the produce grown onsite is distributed amongst Oakhill farmers and through food relief initiatives. By offering training in urban agriculture and peer-to-peer networking opportunities, Oakhill Food Justice Farm not only builds food systems literacy but empowers job seeking participants with confidence and soft skills.

Training new farmers how to grow food in the city

We recently received funding from City of Darebin and the Jack Brockhoff Foundation to run paid internships for young people experiencing barriers to education and employment, and were overwhelmed with worthy applications.

Even if we could pay the honorarium of everyone who applied, we don't have enough space! We want to roll out more paid training opportunities for people new to urban farming to learn to turn lawn into food. We are currently scoping more space for more urban agriculture education to create more opportunities in Alphington and Bundoora.

From little things, big things grow: hands-on teaching kids grows the next generation’s food systems literacy

We’re improving kids’ food systems literacy with the Preston Primary School Passata Program! 700 students are participating in a year-long, hands-on food growing education program with Oakhill Farmers Jemma and Shani. Students come to the farm each term and take part in each step of the food growing process: composting and preparing garden beds to growing tomatoes and eventually making passata! We also incorporate food justice and local Aboriginal plant use and seasons into the curriculum, to improve kids’ food system literacy. This is educating the next generation, as well as their friends and family. 

We also need to save Oakhill Farm from being covered in concrete! 

A once vacant and decrepit vicarage in Preston, with two years of hard work including many, many volunteer hours, Oakhill Food Justice Farm is a community space and urban farm empowering members with knowledge, skills, and social connections. All fresh produce grown on site is donated to local food security agency DIVRS (Darebin Information Volunteer Resource Service), with small amounts taken home by volunteers. It also provides some food for the local community and helps contribute to localised cooling and habitat creation in a densely urban environment. However, the owners of the vicarage and the next door church, the Melbourne Anglican Trust Corporation, have put the entire Oakhill property on the market. Sustain estimates that the vicarage site (800m2 of the total 2600m site) might be bought for somewhere around $1.2-$1.3M.

We are seeking funds towards the purchase of the site. By making this lovely place part of the 'urban commons', we will create lasting model of inspiration for community building through healthy local food systems. 

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