Clare VoitinMy Why...In a world that is forever challenging our food systems and compromising our ability to spend quality time with family and friends, my mission is simple … to encourage people to better understand where their food comes from and inspire them to connect with others, through the simple art of growing and sharing real food… |  |
My journey began from humble beginnings, when I planted my first vegetable garden with my father as a child.
As my life experiences have evolved over the years to the here and now, my passion for growing food and to share in the joys of connecting with family and nature through food is clear.
As a city dweller, farmer’s wife and mother of three boys, I have seen first hand the benefits in growing your own food. However, I have also experienced the disconnection with the foods we have access to, not knowing how it is grown, the integrity (or lack therefore) behind the foods we eat and where this food actually comes from.
My motivation to challenge the mindset of others about the foods they eat and encourage a passion for growing food is without compromise. Whilst my dream is to see food growing education become accessible and compulsory in all schools, that education can quite simply start right now at home, so that today’s kids (tomorrow’s leaders) are equipped with the skills and knowledge to grow food well and therefore eat well, in order to support better ongoing health and wellbeing for themselves, as well as ensuring the world they live in can also be healed and rejuvenated.
The best place for these skills to be learned and practised is right at home in the garden, on the balcony, or even with just a pot on the windowsill. My ultimate goal is to see backyard (and even front yard) urban food gardens become the norm, so we can enhance our own food system and, in the process, regain optimal personal health and bring people back into highly engaged and supportive local communities through the simple art of growing food.
Having developed the skills and knowledge from generations before me, I believe the benefits of encouraging our kids to grow their own food, share a role in providing for the family and learn more about the foods we actually eat is imperative for our ongoing health, wellbeing and connection – connection with those closest to us and with a world that relies on us to start paying better attention to its troubles and challenges.
As a mother, farmer, author and educator, my mission is to highlight the importance of growing food, the value and benefits in supporting local food growers and ensuring that we all have the skills, resources and know-how to eat to live, not live to eat.
