Harvesting the Urban Orchard DIVRS Harvesting the Urban Orchard | Page 24

HARVESTING THE URBAN ORCHARD
DIVRS
Updates
Keeping your harvesting team up-to-date on fruit in season, training
sessions, pruning and maintenance, and workshops is a good seasonal
habit to get into. It’s an opportunity to thank everyone for their efforts
while at the same time reminding them of upcoming harvests and also
letting them know where the ‘fruits’ of their labour have been going.
Share with volunteers and tree owners the progress and achievements
they have contributed to – for example, through an ongoing tally of fruit
harvested, how many people have accessed the fruit, articles released,
and relevant festivals and workshops. This could be achieved through
newsletters, social media or a website members’ page if your volunteers
are all ‘plugged in’.
Training
v v External training through a local provider is best practice for which
funding may be sought. Look into courses available through local
TAFE and private providers, Neighbourhood House and CAE courses.
There are also training companies who can send in-house trainers to
your premises
v v Depending on existing levels of skill and knowledge within the
volunteer base, ‘on the job experience’ may work to advantage.
Ensuring there is a clear role for mentor volunteers can assist them in
providing clear guidance to new volunteers
Some skills and knowledge that your volunteers and tree owners will
benefit from are
v v basic horticulture and fruit tree knowledge
v v pruning and maintenance of fruit trees
v v how to preserve and extend the shelf life of harvested fruit
v v how to recognise ripening fruit and when to harvest
v v Occupational Health and Safety
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There are two main areas of training we provided for volunteers: