Welcome! Please introduce yourself

Kia ora
I am Roderick Aldridge. Now retired, I live in Silverdale Hamilton. Former orchardist and service worker. I am much concerned to promote a more sustainable future here and everywhere.
I see establishing one or more CSA groups in Hamilton and/or the Waikato as a contribition towards this. I hope to help it happen and to be a part of it.

Hi, I'm Alvaro. I'm a scientist. I did and Agriculture degree in Argentina, then a Master in animal Scie and finally a PhD at Massey in agricultural systems. I believe that there's a need to develop radically different production systems, based on Agroecological principles, so that meaningful jobs are created, much more people have access to high quality food, while we protect and enhance nature. Perhaps we can create a little example of that vision.

Thankyou Alvaro for entering my suggestions for a regular monthly meeting up day. And Agreeing! Also thankyou Roderick for your comments. My reasons for meeting at the same time, day and place each month (until the end of the year & longer uf it works well) is for ease of organising and to lessen the driving around, especially for those of us out of town (+ we only need to take off our gardening/farming boots once a month!)

I also think it will help strengthen and consolidate our CSA group if once the Startup groups meeting is done for us to all get together for a meal, communicate, watch an informative DVD etc.

This can also be something we can invite others to who are interested in learning about Csa's.
Health & happiness, Sylvia

P.s. im not a scientist :)

Hi Everyone, Danyel here. I loved being part of a CSA where I grew up in the USA and want to help bring that to my local community in the Waikato. My background is in marketing and business development for the agricultural sector - so hoping to use those skills to support this project! I'm a fan of bringing consumers and producers closer together and would like to see more of it across all sectors of food production.

Hi again team, as i was saying yesterday, when i was interrupted by a lady who came for fig cuttings.....Im not a scientist, and im not very computor literate (hence Alvaro entered my meeting ideas) , so i usually know what i arent however dont find it easy to sum up who i am so im not going to try to other than say I look forward to fresh quality food being available to those who want it whilst appreciating the growers and farmers who make the extra effort to supply food without the use of toxic chemicals.

I look forward to us working together for the good of all , our communities and our environment so that as Frank said, generation after generation can enjoy this planet.

Health & happiness, Sylvia

Hi I'm Shannon. A first season grower who comes from a bit of everything. Regenerative, natural, organic, biological, permaculture, but especially looking after microbes, while trying to grow nutrient dense quality food for the local market.
We need to sell our produce and can supply a CSA.
I personally have a focus on health and wellness, teaching others to grow in an home garden through an urban garden in Hamilton, our own mini farm is opening to be a working model for others on any scale. Chickens, rabbits, cow, market garden, food forest, wood, etc
BUT mostly I would like be at the forefront of the movement to change others to buy local, quality food to nourish us, which will have a flow on effect in health, and continual discussion every day with everyone you chat too, will change this and education/teaching/sharing/impacting lives with positive solutions and memories.

So much to do, so little time.
BE THE CHANGE
Shannon

I feel privileged to be on a team with such inspired, passionate, knowledgeable, dedicated, and value-based people and much gratitude for this opportunity.

I have always wanted to belong to a CSA since I first heard about it in college in 1992 but my circumstances haven't provided for that opportunity. In 2008, I set up my homestead in rural South Africa to be a Sustainability Centre for permaculture demonstration and learning. I learned by doing, watching videos, reading, working with others, etc. I also worked with schools as a permaculture education consultant for 4 years in rural South Africa.

We came to NZ a year ago for me to work at Shama as the Community Development Worker. I felt that this CSA venture fit well with my work objectives of community-led development, meeting a community need, and bringing diverse people together. My work focus is to connect ethnic and migrant communities with each other and the greater Hamilton so I see this project also as a means to do that.

I would wish one day to be able to supply a CSA but for now I'm in a small suburban plot so would love to buy a share of the harvest.

I have a love for health and wellness for all creatures and the earth, for traditional ways of doing things that link people, place and culture, for connecting people with life-serving opportunities, for helping bring harmony amongst people.

For this team, I am happy to co-facilitate meetings, to help connect up more ethnic and migrant people, to coordinate and lead more capacity building workshops, to network with other organisations to grow an alliance, and with my work hours at Shama I can do some of the administrative tasks. My work at Shama ends in December so will need to share the admin after that time.

Hi, My name is Benadicta Maria Sequira, you can call me just Maria. I grew up in South India(Udupi/Mangalore) around forests, paddy fields, mountains etc. I pretty much grew to play in the mud, working in the paddy fields, grazing cows with my Dad, sisters, and brothers. Life was not easy for us as my Dad was birth blind and mum passed away when I was small. But being around nature and working in it has made us resilient and quite happy, and also eating fresh food. My Dad looked after two buffaloes and 2-3 cows, he had somewhat good knowledge about agriculture he would have learned it from my Grandfather). Now is suffering from forgetfulness and old age. I studied really hard, did my engineering in Electronics and Communications, worked in Abu Dhabi as a Sales Engineer for about 3 years. After marriage we moved to NZ, I could not secure myself a job in the same field, as it is changing on an everyday basis. So, we planned to have kids and from then on I am raising my kids, looking after the house and family. My husband supports me and he pretty much came as a rescue for me lol. Oh well, I still like growing vegetables and making compost etc. The second year when we arrived here, I had so many climbing beans. I still do a little bit here and there, even though my husband finds it messy lol. This would be a great opportunity for me to learn more about and grow with nature. I also remember killing a big rat with a rake while digging compost with my Dad, when I was small. I don't know how I did it lol :) Looking forward to this, not really sure how it will work for me, but really interested. Cheers :)
(I also listened to talk between Samantha and Rob I guess, about this initiative. I got some more information about CSA, as I could not attend workshop fully with kids in and out :))

Hi again, Thankyou all who have introduced yourselves, it does helpto have an idea of who we are. And thankyou Maria for your recent introduction, it sounds an interesting challenging childhood as was mine and youve inspired me to share a little.more about myself, especially the info on the rat!

I grew up on a sheep farm in the hills of Taoraoroa that is about halfway between Whitehall and Matamata. We rode horses with rope bridles and no saddles to school from the time we were 5yrs old. When we got home from school we milked the two house cows by hand, fed the 25 hens and 20 or so ducks. Dad butchered sheep and hunted pheasant, quail, geese, pukeko,ducks,turkeys, wild pigs, goats and rabbits and we were involved in all this killing, gutting, plucking, chopping up etc and thought nothing of it as it was what we ate to survive on along with the vegetables mum grew in the huge garden she dug + fruit from the already established huge orchard of peaches, plums, etc. Mum also grew strawberries and tomatoes to sell locally, and oh yes there was also gullies full of blackberries and hills covered with huge feild mushrooms, and we would also eat the swedes, turnips and chamolia that was grown for the sheep and herd of black angus. Mum was a good cook and did an amazing job of even making pukeko stew taste amazing. We drank raw milk and made our own butter. We worked on the farm alongside our parents from when we got home from school till we went to bed at all hours. Dad worked long hours, even at night in the pitch dark, he seemed to be able to get some more jobs done. And on full moons i can remember carrying a bag of staples for him, while my sister carried the hammer and he took battens up and down the gullies as he had 500 acres with no proper boundary fences and stock was getting.out to neighbouring farms everywhere. All the work was done on stockmans horses, draft horses and sledges. And gum trees were felled and split with gun powder drills and wedges. The big chainsaw was the only machinery he had. The gums were used as strainer posts or split into battens by Dad and my Granddad with axes. Mum and us children were his workers and we learnt a lot 'on the job' so to speak as he had no time to tolerate uselessness or daydreaming. My parents were in debt/mortgage slavery to Newton Kings, Wrightsons & the Bankers as they were financed into this farm and strived and struggled to make a living, feed their kids and literally worked themselves to death in their quest to be debt free!

I often hear town.people make comments about the 'rich farmers' , unless the farm is inherited via several generations its not usually the case. And even on inherited land the $ are in the land value and not necesarily in the farmers pockets.

Well thats just a snippet of background info on me. Dad used to say the two things people must have to live is food and health and when money is scarce they will stop spending on other things but not these two as no one likes to be hungry or in pain.

Through Community Supported Regenerative Agriculture & Horticulture we can collaberate to ensure food security and have the nourishing fresh food we need to maintain our health!

Health & Happiness to you all, Sylvia :)

Hi Sylvia, I read your upbringing and it is very touching. I know how hard some farmers work. I think people who don't know about farming, they only see the big land and crops. But farmers have their own stories, struggles and yet they are healthy and happy. You should be proud of yourself and family :)