Participatory video is accessible to all genders and levels of education

Participatory Video is a method pioneered by Insightshare whereby a community of people are taught the basics of video production, how to plan a story and create a storyboard and then given a video camera and computer to produce a short film of their own choosing.

The purpose of the video is to create discussion, communicate issues, and ultimately make change.

Most documentaries are made by professional filmmakers who have years of experience behind a camera, and who have their own agenda, but through Participatory Video, putting the camera into the subjects hands helps them to express themselves and tell their own story exactly how it is.

In April 2011, supported by the AusAID-funded project “Building the resilience of communities and their ecosystems to the impacts of climate change in the Pacific”, led by The Nature Conservancy, I facilitated the first Participatory Video activity in the Solomon Islands, in the remote village of Chivoko on the north-west tip of Choiseul Island.

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Summit Organics Farm and Border Ranges backdrop. Photo: Peter Bracher

At Summit Organics, farmers Rod and Tania Bruin use no chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers and still manage to grow quality fruit and vegetables on a commercial scale. Just how does a certified organic commercial farm work? For Greenies went along to one of their ‘Farmwalks’ in May 2010 and learnt about the process from seedling to harvesting, weeding without herbicides, the importance of compost and energy efficient irrigation. The day was topped off with a beautiful meal made by Russel Scott in his self-sufficient food caravan comprised entirely of Summit Organics fresh salad greens and locally produced vegetarian ingredients.

Check out Summit Organics Facebook Page for upcoming Farmwalk events!

Here is the For Greenies video summarising the day…

For Greenies joined ‘Culture Club’ for a stroll around the streets of West End’s urban foodscape. What we found was a diverse array of sub-tropical fruit trees overhanging footpaths, edible vines spanning fences, and sprawling root crops replacing nature strip grass. This is a testament to the culturally diverse community and the favourable climate of sub-tropical Brisbane.

The tour involved plant identification as well as discussing the ethics of harvesting, share maps, what to do with surplus and how to contribute to the urban edible foodscape.

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For Greenies has created a worldwide Google map that locates organic and bio-dynamic farms, organic food markets, organic retailers and even the backyard organic gardener who wants to sell their surpluses.

Anyone can add to the map, so if you are an organic and and/or bio-dynamic farmer,  organic gardener, organic retailer, or if you know of the location of organic markets, farms and cafes feel free to share your location with the world. Read More & Comment →

On my birthday last month my partner and I spent the day in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. It was past lunch time and our stomachs were starting to get that empty feeling but we were far from any good nutritious food. Walking down the main path back to the entrance we came across a tree we had never seen before with spikes between the leaves and small yellow fruit about the size of a plum. The tree was loaded with fruit and the ground below covered in fallen fruit. “What is this tree?” we asked each other, “is it edible?” at this stage we were very hungry. A covered rat trap had been laid under the tree and the fact that the name plaque had the word ‘apple’ in it was enough for us to decide that it COULD be edible and that it must be safe if the rats were eating it!

Is it edible? taste it and see...

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Why MEVs? (Micro Enterprise Village)

Over the last century the Australian dream home gave way from tightly terraced streets of Sydney and Melbourne to the grand brick and quarter acre. Now, as blocks of land accessible to employment have become more sort after, larger more lightly constructed dwellings dominate ever-smaller blocks.

Image by David Shankbone

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