The Green Connect farm is an 11-acre urban farm that uses permaculture and organic principles to produce fruit, vegetables, herbs, eggs, honey and free-range meat.
On the farm we grow sustainable produce to provide the community with good food, while funding sustainable employment for our farm staff. By purchasing our produce grown and produced on the farm, you help us to train and employ young people and refugees in jobs that are good for the planet.
The farm is located on land behind Warrawong High School. Entry to the Green Connect farm is via 6 Anna Ave, Lake Heights.
It is only open to the public for booked tours and activities at present.
What we do on the Green Connect Farm?
Fruit & veg grown according to organic principles
Run farm tours and activities
Produce honey
Raise free-range chickens for their eggs
Raise free-range pigs
Raise free-range sheep and goats
Who works at the Green Connect farm?
Farm Manager
Emily Henderson became manager of Green Connect farm in 2021.
Growing up, her family life included sheep farming in New Zealand, hydroponic market gardening in the Falkland Islands and life on a traditional country estate in England. After moving to Australia, Emily studied Biology at University of Wollongong and more recently completed a Cert IV in Community Services. After experience both running her own businesses and working in non-for profit, she was delighted to join Green Connect and continue the hard work in making Green Connect Farm one of the country’s leading examples of urban agriculture.
Farm Hands
The Green Connect Farm Hands include our awesome former refugee staff Eh Moo, Shay and Su.
Each member of the team brings a diverse range of skills in farming, growing food and life experience that make the farm a wonderful place to be. The farm team completes tasks like soil preparation, planting, harvesting and putting together our weekly veg boxes.
Work Experience / Volunteers
Green Connect is lucky to be a part of a wonderful community within the Illawarra.
We have a range of volunteers at the farm including retirees who help “here and there”, interns who maintain the non-commercial parts of our farm including the native creek line and the non-productive food forest, and participants in our work experience program that is aimed at young people who are disengaged (or disengaging) from education and not yet ready for employment. This makes the farm a busy place with a rich diversity of people on it, all doing great things and contributing to Green Connect’s vision of a connected community that values people and planet.
What next for the Green Connect Farm?
We have been making the farm a productive paradise since 2013 and the next stage is to turn it in to a demonstration site that delights and inspires people. We want to fully develop the farm in order to:
- Create more jobs and employment pathways in a region with too few
- Fully utilise the land, activating the farm as a space in which the community can engage
- Expand our impact by sharing what we do (showing people what is possible and teaching and inspiring them to reduce waste and grow fair food themselves)
- Develop a new revenue stream, through which we can be a financially sustainable business
How you can get involved?
DONATE
VOLUNTEER
VISIT
