2nd Meeting of National Network 05/02/2009

We had a very interesting and lively meeting with lots of information sharing and discussion about the focus and name for the Network. For anyone who didn't manage to attend perhaps you'd like to add your ideas here for now. Thanks to Niamh Kirwan of the Soul Food Group you should have received the minutes.

Here's a short personal summary.
We all agreed that we need to keep informed as to what is going on around the country as initiatives are popping up by the minute, exciting times for Community Food. I am aware of three or four new private land owners renting allotments, and some new community gardens, in Wicklow for example, just in the last month.

So one hope is that a website can be put up that allows for that info exchange to happen Nationally.

Coming together to Lobby was also mentioned in order to have a stronger voice with central government and hear how each others local councils are responding and hold up the good ones as examples of best practice for others.

We will be sorry to see the Soul Food Group go, their energy and enthusiasm has been a great boost to getting an all Ireland group off the ground.
Before they finish up there should be a new website and a policy document that pulls together input from three different meetings, one at Terra Madre, the first national meeting as well as a policy day. We look forward to seeing a draft before too long. This will then be launched at Convergence at Cultivate) (I believe) and sent out all over.

Although the Soul Food group hope to encourage the some of new Climate Change Advocates to continue their work with the group, we decided that Anita and the Organic Centre would remain a convener for meetings for the next while. Suggestions on the venue for next time are welcome. Carraig Dúlra will also help.

Soul Food hope to have secured funding for the first phase of the website development which Mike Cahn will develop with some donated hours work, while Bruce Darrel is looking for more ambitious funding to create a more technically advanced version with mapping and databases etc.

Deidre DeBurca attended the meeting representing the Greens and let us know that Community Food Initiatives, Gardens and Allotments were a central policy for them in the up-coming local elections and that John Gormley was looking at making a directive from his department.
She committed to continue to support and help the group in anyway she can.
Suzie Cahn, Carraig Dúlra