Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1185664
12 LAURA CASSAR NADIA Cassar, green-fingers by trade, has been gardening for 33 years. But in the last eight years she has been growing her own food, turning her busi- ness into one revolving around healthy, sustainable living. In a time where agriculture in Malta risks dying a slow death, as farmers grow older and the gatekeepers of our rural herit- age grow fewer in number, peo- ple like Cassar want to preach a new gospel: growing our own food, without breaking the bank account, no matter our living space. "You don't need to have a large garden to start growing your own produce," Cassar says. "I myself, started growing certain produce in my balcony, that is only 64 centimetres wide and 2.3 metres long. It's north-fac- ing, with no sun, and receives quite a fair amount of wind, and I manage to make it work. I have also grown food on a roof, ter- race and a windowsill. The issue of space is no excuse," she said. The good news about organic produce is its major health ben- efits, mentally, emotionally, and physically as well as being great for the environment. Often or- ganic foods have more beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants, over conventionally-grown fruit and vegetables, especially for the reduced use of fungicides, herbi- cides, and insecticides employed in conventional agriculture, which tends to leave residue in the food that ends up being con- sumed. Still, many people find buy- ing organically grown food at a higher cost than conventional produce. But Nadia Cassar, who runs Gardenscapes Gardening Services, says financial con- straints shouldn't stop anyone from seeking out such healthy alternatives. "Small spaces can be made to work by making a simple verti- cal garden out of a pallet that can be attached to walls rather than on the floor, or even plastic containers. "If you're on a budget, and to save waste from the landfill, con- sider using polystyrene contain- ers that you can get for free from local fish-mongers. You can also use wood to make garden beds. When using wooden pallets, oil used for potato fries works won- ders to make the material water- resistant…. two coats, twice a year should do the trick!" Nadia advises people to get our of their comfort zone if they are serious about trying to grow their own food. "If you want to achieve a simi- lar goal on a budget, you need to become a scavenger of sorts. Look around you, and see if things you were planning to throw away could somehow be re-purposed – I myself collect items from skips many times, and often find pieces such as panels and scraps of wood which do the trick, saving such 'waste' from the landfill. "The most important thing is to gauge your situation before starting a project. Every space is different and there are many factors to take into considera- tion when deciding to grow or- ganic produce. For example, how much sun does the area get – is it windy or shady? What season are they starting in? Will water be readily available?" Despite the effort involved, Nadia maintains that going chemical-free was has been the best option for a healthier body and mind in her case. Hit by a slew of health problems herself, Nadia started to research alter- natives to her ailments, which led her down a more sustainable lifestyle. "I'm convinced that there are very few things that can't be solved by a garden." Supermarket chore But Nadia is concerned that Malta is becoming completely dependent on imported food, and that people are losing touch with the way people previously purchased food from locally- sourced growers and merchants. She says consumers need to be more inquisitive when it comes to the produce they are purchas- ing. "Don't be afraid to ask con- venience stores or supermarkets questions – ask if the produce is organic, whether it's local or imported, check the ingredients written down in the tiny font, know your facts and be informed when making purchases." She says buying locally is al- ways the best and healthiest option, suggesting that people should stay away from fruit im- ported in large quantities from mainland Europe and other continents. "What people are saving in money… they end up losing out in quality. Having tasted im- ported fruit and vegetables my- self, I can tell you that it feels like biting into water, most having a bland taste and poor nutrition due to being harvested a long time ago… not to mention the chemicals added to keep them looking good on the shelf." Nadia also explains why it is always better to go and buy straight from farmers. "Now more than ever, people should be supporting local farmers. Farming makes up only about 2% of the country's GPD – more and more farmers in Malta are finding it harder to sustain themselves, due to heavy price competition with large quanti- ties of foreign exports," she says. Indeed, a recent report by Su- zanna Maas for Friends of the Earth Malta on the local food chain revealed stakeholders' fears that Malta was becoming completely dependent on foreign imports: "Unless consumers and policy-makers realise that we are in a dire situation, unless some- thing drastic is done, agriculture as we know it will disintegrate into a hobby sector," one agri- cultural expert was quoted as saying in the FOE report. Not many young people are taking up the profession, and those who do face many challenges, mainly access to land and high invest- ment costs: "Unless young farm- ers have access to fields already, for example, inherited through their family, they are faced with high costs for the procurement of land," Maas says. Even Nadia wants consumers to support farmers by buying their food directly from them. "By supporting local farmers more, way more profit goes di- rectly to the farmer, so we're lessening the pressure they en- dure and giving them the wiggle room to produce such fruit and vegetables in a more natural, healthier way." Nadia offers gardening services as well as several gardening, health and lifestyle workshops. She can be contacted on email: gardenscapesmalta@gmail.com maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 NOVEMBER 2019 NEWS Growing your own food? It's possible You've heard the advice before: buy local. But Nadia Cassar is helping people go one step further – growing their own food! Nadia Cassar: grow your own food but also buy food from Maltese farmers "Ask if the produce is organic, local, check the ingredients, know your facts and be informed when making purchases"