FOTE was pleased to sponsor the inaugural Carmel Community Agricultural Field Day on May 3 in conjunction with the Bickley Carmel Harvest Festival.
The aim of the open day was to promote sustainable living and sustainable agriculture.
The event was held in a beautiful grounds of the Carmel Adventist College and we had a magnificent day for the event, with blue skies and spectacular views down the valley. 
We had a great range of stalls, including:
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The Permaculture Association of WA;
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Backyard Aquaponics;
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Nature Direct;
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XQuisit Organics;
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Elixir Raw Honey;
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Orange Valley Nursery;
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Nature Reserves Preservation Group;
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Kalamunda Shire Council;
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Stop Eastern Terminal Substation Action Group;
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Compost WA;
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Friends of the Environment.
While you couldn't say that it was crowded, we did have a steady flow of visitors who were able to visit the stalls, relax over a devonshire tea provided by the college's Parents and Friends Association, and enjoy the fine music from Norrie Taylor and his very talented family.
There were three talks given during the day.
Bob Paulin from the Agriculture Department of WA attracted a lot of interest with his talk on composting. Check out the video footage of some of his talk.
Mike Littlely spoke about the benefits of developing a farmers' market in the Perth Hills. Click here to find out more about this initiative.
Gary Warden spoke about the importance of diet in addressing climate change impacts. Click here if you would like to view his materials.
All in all it was a successful day. While we would have liked to have bigger crowds, given that we only started planning the event in the weeks prior to the event, and given the lack of widespread advertising and issues with the bus service on the day, we feel that this is a fantastic base on which to build future events.
Many thanks to the organising committee comprising Steve Gibellini, Geoff Stallard and in particular Norrie Taylor who organised much of the logistics for the day. Thanks in particular to Carmel College Principal, Gavin Miller, and the staff and students who assisted in putting up tents for the day.
We look forward to an even bigger and better event next year!!
