With our economy in a perilous state and increasing concerns about the quality of our food system, there is unprecedented interest in producing organic food in back gardens, allotments and community gardens. Many people now believe that growing and rearing your own food is a lifestyle choice that not only makes sound economic sense, but also makes you feel more vibrant, alive and connected to your community and environment.

Unfortunately, right at the time when it would be most useful, there is a deficit of practical expertise about growing and rearing food. As individuals and as a society we have lost the necessary knowledge and skills that a generation ago would have been a given. GIY groups aim to take the ''self'' out of ''self-sufficiency'' by getting amateur growers together so that they can learn those skills from each other and connect with like-minded individuals.

Most of us will have been struck by the mythical camaraderie that exists on allotment plots - growers can stick their head over a fence and ask the expert grower in the neighbouring allotment how they have such wonderful carrots, or what to do about potato blight! GIY groups aim to facilitate those really useful informal exchanges of information and ideas between amateur growers, allowing the novice to learn from someone who has learned the hard way!

Journalist and author Michael Kelly set up the first GIY group in Waterford. Michael and his wife have been growing their own food for about five years in their garden – in 2008 they went in search of a local food growers group for them to join so that they could learn more about growing from some real experts and get to know other like-minded folk in the area. But there was no such group, and being a sucker for a hare-brained project, Michael decided to set one up.

Over 100 people showed up at the first meeting of GIY Waterford and the group continues to meets monthly in the city library. Of course you can’t keep a good idea down and so not long afterwards, another GIY group was formed in nearby Dunmore East and then in neighbouring Wexford. There are now over 40 GIY groups and others in the pipeline nationwide.

In 2009 with the help of enthusiastic fellow growers from the Waterford group, Michael established GIY Ireland to promote back-garden vegetable growing and the idea of GIY groups nationwide. The organisation aims to establish GIY groups in every town and village in Ireland – but of course you have to learn to walk before you can run so the plan for the next 12 months is to establish at least one thriving GIY group in every county. No pressure then! GIY Ireland is a not-for-profit initiative and is supported by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland.

People who: Want to grow/rear their own food but are not sure where to startAre already growing/rearing their own food but want to learn more, get in touch with fellow foodies, or share the knowledge they gained the hard way!Have excess produce and want to barter/exchange with other growersAre concerned about food security, rising food costs and the impact of our food system on the planet - and who want to empower themselves by growing their own food

• Better results from your food growing
• Connect with other food growers
• Have fun
• Be part of a community