Landshare and SharedEarth Announce Global Partnership at SXSW

On March 15, 2011, SharedEarth and LandShare joined forces to create the largest land sharing community in the world.  The partnership brings together the most successful land sharing organizations from Europe and the US.  Combined, the two programs have signed up more than 52,000 people who are sharing more than 5,000 acres of land.  Users are growing vegetables, chickens, fruit, herbs and flowers.

The purpose of the partnership is to expand awareness and participation in the land sharing movement.  The two non-profits share a similar vision to increase the availability of usable land and to make the world a greener place, one garden at a time.

More information about the partnership can be found at SharedEarth.com.  The original press release is from WebWire.

Landshare Updates in the United Kingdom

Over the weekend, there were a number of announcements and updates on landshare co-operatives.  Here is a rundown of those stories:

• Thirteen residents in Banff, UK register plans for a landshare in a move toward making the town less dependent on fossil fuels and a more resilient community for a future where food and energy costs may increase sharply. (via The Press and Journal)
• A landshare program is among 20 programs proposed by the Transition Evesham Vale group.  The group is among the network of Transition Towns, which began in the UK and have grown across the globe. (via the Evesham Journal)
• Villagers in Cilcain and Ffynnongroyw unite to manage community landshare projects in Flintshire.  The program currently has 150 people on a waiting list, hoping to be assigned to one of the 67 plots available. (via BBC)

Links to the original articles are above

Landshare Arrives in Australia

Landshare, the hugely successful "match-making service for gardeners" in the United Kingdom, has launched its service in Australia on January 27, 2011.  The Australia branch of the company is run by Phil Dudman, an Aussie-native and gardening expert.

Dudman commented on the launch, “There is an increased demand for people wanting fresh, seasonal produce. The way of the future is to be growing your own produce - and the things you can’t grow yourself, you buy at the local farmers' market. And access to land is only getting harder as backyards get smaller.”

Landshare Australia launches on the back of the success of the program in the UK, which has nearly 60,000 members.

Link to full press release from Northern Star.