Use and Value Diversity

August 31, 2026

Hi Friend

As I sit down to write this issue cyclone vaianu is barreling towards us and it feels like there is no better time to consider the use and value of diversity.

It is common knowledge that monocultural systems of any kind, be that agriculture, energy, workplace, government, transport, forests (I could go on)… are vulnerable to change and less effective than systems that embrace diversity.

What comes to mind alongside diversity is resilience. And by resilience I don’t mean simply bouncing back but rather the ability to be transformed by adversity. To know that we can weather the storms, creatively respond to change and come through it all with a broader perspective.

Pumpkin harvest

How do you welcome diversity into your life?

Here are my top three recommendations to increase diversity and resilience.

1. Grow a diverse garden.

If you are a gardener you will know that all plants have good and bad seasons and most of the time we don’t really know why.

For example this year all my early cucumbers shrivelled up while the ones I planted two months later were vibrant and high producing. Last year it was the opposite. Growing a diversity of species and spacing out planting times means if one crop fails you can fall back on all the others.

Just to be clear I am not suggesting planting one of every kind of plant but rather choosing a range of food you like to eat and interplanting with flowers and herbs to support pollinators and insect life which has positive flow-on effects for the rest of the biosphere.

Growing a garden is also a great way to diversify your food supply, making you less reliant on supermarkets, international trade and the globalised food market.

2. Move away from fossil fuels.

Right now it is abundantly clear how reliant we all are on fossil fuel and how vulnerable we are when prices rise, supply is interrupted or a conflict impacts global markets.

One of the reasons I believe in this business is that I have a range of tools that make gardening and moving towards localised food sovereignty easier without the use of fossil fuels.

Tools like the broadfork, wheel hoes and especially the scythes make petrol free gardening possible and fun!

Scythes have been running out the door this month and I have been having a lot of interesting conversations with people who are looking to the future and considering how they can set themselves up now.

If you are curious if a scythe is right for you, please give me a call or reply to this email and I am really happy to talk it over with you.

Scythe Kit with Plastic Holder

$511.00

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Scythe Kit with Copper Holder

$552.00

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3. Support local businesses and food growers.

Competing with huge multinational companies is really tough. They can sell things at a loss and make money from your data (temu, amazon etc), can force farmers to sell at lower prices or risk losing their big buyers (foodstuffs, woolworths etc) and because their turn over is so large, they can afford to have lower margins and still make huge profits.

By supporting local businesses and growers we ensure a diversity of options remain available. Imagine if all the local businesses disappear and we become totally reliant on a few large companies, then they can charge whatever they like and we have no other choice.

I know it can be hard to justify spending a bit more to support local and that it isn’t always possible but if we all do what we can, where we can, it adds up to a big difference.

It’s time for me to head outside now and secure anything loose, clear drains, pick up fallen fruit, feed the chooks and go for a walk on the beach before the storm really hits.

Thank you for being here with me and if you think someone you know will enjoy this newsletter please feel welcome to pass it on to them.

Next issue I’ll be looking at Use Edges and Value the Marginal.

Until then… happy gardening!

Beth

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