GFS Perth

19/06/2026

A strip of wildflowers can reduce the need for pesticides. Why aren't they everywhere? 🌼🐞🌾

farmers are planting strips of wildflowers through and around their fields for a surprisingly powerful reason: they attract insects that help control crop pests.

Ladybugs are among the best-known examples. Both adults and larvae consume aphids, tiny insects that damage crops by sucking sap from plants. A single ladybug can eat dozens of aphids per day, while its larvae can consume hundreds during development.

But ladybugs are only part of it.

Wildflower strips also attract hoverflies, lacewings, parasitic wasps, and predatory beetles. Many of these insects are natural enemies of crop pests including aphids, whiteflies, thrips, and caterpillars.

Scientists call this "conservation biological control." Instead of introducing predators into a field, farmers create habitat that helps naturally occurring beneficial insects survive and reproduce.

The flowers provide nectar and pollen, which many beneficial insects need as adults. Research has shown that access to flowering plants can increase the lifespan, reproduction, and hunting activity of pest-eating insects.

Parasitic wasps provide one of the most remarkable examples. Some species lay their eggs inside aphids and caterpillars. The developing larvae consume the pest from within, eventually killing it.

Studies have found that fields with flower strips often support greater numbers of beneficial insects and experience higher rates of natural pest control than fields without them.

The benefits can extend beyond pest management. Flower strips may also support pollinators, improve biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, and provide habitat for wildlife in agricultural landscapes.

Researchers are now studying which flower species work best for different crops and regions. The goal is to design strips that support the most effective communities of beneficial insects while maximizing crop protection.

19/06/2026

Africa’s Food Forest Mega-Project

Across the Sahel region, communities are working together to reverse desertification by harvesting rainwater, rebuilding soil health, and planting diverse mixtures of trees, shrubs, crops, and groundcovers. Rather than relying on monoculture farming, the project uses food forest principles that mimic natural ecosystems, creating productive landscapes that require fewer external inputs while providing multiple benefits to local people.

Key techniques include:

* Rainwater harvesting earthworks that slow, spread, and sink water into the landscape.
* Regenerative agriculture practices that rebuild soil fertility and organic matter.
* Planting drought-tolerant trees and perennial crops alongside annual food crops.
* Restoring native vegetation to improve biodiversity and ecological function.
* Community-led management and stewardship of the land.

The results are significant. Previously degraded land is becoming greener and more productive, providing food, fodder, fuelwood, and income opportunities for local communities. Improved soil health and vegetation cover help retain moisture, reduce erosion, and increase resilience during drought periods. The project demonstrates how ecological restoration can also strengthen local economies and community wellbeing.

Why It Matters

The Africa Food Forest Project shows that environmental restoration and food production can work hand in hand. By designing landscapes that mimic nature, communities are creating systems that are more productive, resilient, and sustainable than conventional approaches. It is a powerful example of permaculture in action, demonstrating that even severely degraded land can be regenerated when people work with natural systems rather than against them.

Connection to GFS Perth’s Permaculture Partnerships

At GFS Perth, our Permaculture work and Permaculture Partnerships Programs are founded on many of the same principles seen in projects like this. We believe healthy communities and healthy ecosystems grow together. Whether through food forests, water-wise gardening, soil improvement, composting, or community growing spaces, we are helping to create places where people can connect, learn, and care for creation while building a greener tomorrow.

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is today.” The Africa Food Forest Project reminds us that every garden, every tree, and every act of regeneration contributes to a healthier future for both people and planet. 🌱💚

www.gfsperth.com.au

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys with the UN World ...

19/06/2026

19/06/2026

19/06/2026

🌿 Polyculture: Nature’s Way of Growing Better Together 🌿
At GFS Perth, we believe that some of life’s best lessons come from nature.
In a natural ecosystem, you rarely find just one thing growing on its own. Instead, plants, insects, animals and microorganisms work together in diverse and interconnected ways. Permaculture calls this polyculture, growing a variety of plants together so they can support one another.

🌱 Different plants use different nutrients
🌱 Flowers attract pollinators and beneficial insects
🌱 Legumes add nitrogen to the soil
🌱 Groundcovers protect moisture and suppress weeds
🌱 Diversity helps reduce pests and disease naturally

It’s a powerful reminder that thriving communities are built on connection, cooperation and diversity.

At GFS Perth, polyculture reflects more than our gardening approach, it reflects our mission. Just as different plants strengthen one another, people flourish when they are connected through friendship, shared purpose and community.

💚 Enabling friendship. Caring for creation.

If you’d like to learn more, join Alison for a practical and beginner-friendly session on Polyculture in Permaculture this Sunday.

📍 Swan View Permaculture Partnership
Swan View Uniting Church
82 Gladstone Avenue, Swan View

📅 Sunday
🕥 10:45am – 11:45am

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or simply curious about growing food in harmony with nature, everyone is welcome.

☕ Stay for a cuppa, meet like-minded people, and discover how working with nature can help create a better world together.

🌿💙

17/06/2026

It’s not about being physically alone, but about being misunderstood, unseen, rejected, ostracized, all of that.

Almost one-third, 30%, of Americans say they have experienced feelings of loneliness once a week during the last year.