AGRICULTURE

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Pre-birth and for the first five years of Robina's life she was raised on an organic market garden on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand. This first learning environment had a significant effect on her life, forming a basis for her relationship with nature, gardening and farming. Her family always had a large vegetable and flower garden, and wherever she went she made gardens. Although she has never done any academic training, as a child she won lots of inter-school prizes for her gardens and workbooks.

SKILLS

Plant propagation, grafting, pruning, harvesting, packing, shadehouse and tunnelhouse design & construction, seed saving & processing, NZ indigenous flora revegetation,.garden design & management, tool maintenance, compost making, small scale irrigation design & operating, terra-forming, tractor driving.

POSITIONS

• Organic market garden labourer - 'Full Belly Farm', Davis, California, USA; 1986
  
  
• Land restoration labourer - Lafayette, California, USA; 1986
  
  
• Apple picker - Nelson, NZ; 1976/1980
  
  
• Kiwifruit pruner - Bay of Plenty, NZ; 1987
  
  
• Seed bank initiator & worker - Golden Bay Community Gardens, NZ; 1988
  
  
• Herb gardens (culinary & medicinal) - designer, implementer & plant propagator - Tui Community, NZ; 1988; T.D.P., South Africa; 1995
  
  
• Nursery co-manager, labourer & salesperson - Otakou Native Tree nursery, Dunedin, NZ; 1990/91
  
  
• Nursery co-ordinator - T.D.P., South Africa; 1995/96
  
  
• Seed bank co-ordinator - T.D.P., South Africa; 1995/96
  
  
• Demonstration gardens for 'Household Food Security': designer, director, researcher, on-the-job trainer in permaculture and organic methods - T.D.P., South Africa; 1995/96
  
  
• Biological systems (integrated gardens, orchards & small animal systems): designer & site director - Tswana ecovillage model homestead ('lalapa'); T.D.P, South Africa; 1996
  
  
• Community vegetable gardens: co-ordinator, apprenticeship trainer, labourer - Tui Community, NZ ; 1997
  
  
• Design consultant for two rural properties - Anahat Retreat & Rowse family, Golden Bay, NZ; 1997
  
  
• Designer of teaching aids and land management planning tools - T.D.P., South Africa; 1996
  
  
• Biodynamic Agriculture Workshops - Motueka & Christchurch; 1983
  

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS (Q)

• Seed Technology training - Massey University, Palmerston North, NZ; 1988 (Q: Certificate in Seed Technology)