Student Malachai Clements’ goal is to empower and improve the health of remote communities. Photo: Supplied
A backyard orchard is proving wrong the myth that remote regions are barren, sparking a mission to bring productive gardens to communities across Australia.
There are more than 70 varieties of fruit, vegies, nuts and herbs growing in Malachai Clements’ backyard.
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Growing up and living in the Cape York community of Weipa, the 21-year-old is familiar with the challenges faced by remote residents trying to access fresh produce.
“In Brisbane, you can expect to pay $4 for a sweet potato. On Cape York, we pay upwards of $13 for a single sweet potato,” the Wiradjuri man said.
“My fiancée and I, our weekly grocery bill is $350 for two people. Imagine what entire families are paying.”
But it’s not only the cost. Fresh produce endures a days-long barge trip from Cairns before hitting the supermarket shelves in Weipa.
Produce is plentiful in Cairns but getting it to Cape York is a separate challenge. Photo: Sean Davey/AAP
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AAP
Malachai said that reduced the shelf life of food and the barge could be impacted by monsoonal rains and cyclones, leaving the community without fresh fruit and vegetables altogether.
“Typically you only get two or three days out of most fruit,” he said.
The link between this lack of access to a variety of fresh foods and the health of people in the country’s remote regions is not lost on the young chiropractic student.
“It’s no secret Indigenous communities and especially remote Indigenous communities suffer from far higher levels of chronic diseases, preventable deaths and deaths linked directly to nutrition,” Malachai said.
So he transformed his own backyard into an orchard.
While remote Australia can be desolate, Malachai’s backyard has become a food bowl.
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SUPPLIED
There is a whopping 73 kinds of fruit, herbs, nuts and vegetables to be precise, with Malachai already seeing harvests, including pomegranate, pineapple, banana and guava.
“We have a very small backyard, we are quickly running out of room and I’m constantly building new garden beds,” he said.
“But with that we’ve proved that, even though remote Australia is often dismissed as desolate, in fact we can grow in abundance.”
Now that he has proved he can grow plenty for himself and his partner, Malachai says the aim is to get an orchard in every community across the Cape.
Next on the list is the nearby community of Napranum, where he is working with the local Aboriginal Shire Council to establish an orchard.
Malachai said he would also like to see agricultural and gardening skills taught in schools.
“Talking with the grandmas around Weipa, it’s very evident that when they were younger, agriculture was a big thing,” he said.
“Everyone grew a certain amount of food to sustain your family.”
Malachai said the issue of access to fresh produce wasn’t unique to Cape York and he hoped to expand the idea to remote communities across the country.
While he said he would need government support to do that, it was important that each orchard was community-led and driven.
“By helping communities rekindle agricultural knowledge, by helping them to set up localised food systems ... you’re treating the root cause, rather than the effects,” he said.
“At the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is empower communities and improve the health of these communities.”
