Grow your Own Vegetables

Grow your Own Vegetables

This campaign was inspired by the British ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign. Australians were encouraged to produce their own vegetables for consumption to as to reduce demand of farmers and reduce the demand on coal and rubber involved in food production.(1)

This campaign was met with some hostility in areas such as Western Australia where food was much harder to grow at home due to the hot, harsh climate.(2)

The campaign continued, mainly pushed towards women as the food controllers of the household, yet men were encouraged to grow vegetables too; it seen as a marker of manliness to produce food for one’s family.(3)

1. “Grow Your Own Vegetables,” The North Western Courier, 2 September 1943. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/134969367?searchTerm=grow%20your%20own%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=l-availability=y|||l-australian=y
2. Gaynor, “Digging for Victory,” 4.
3. Gaynor, “Digging for Victory,” 5.

http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/publications/memento/pdf/memento34.pdf

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-62593702/view?partId=nla.obj-62593995

https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/231405801?l-decade=194&l-format=Photograph&q=grow+your+own&l-availability=y&l-australian=y&c=picture&versionId=255265581

c. 1941-1945