SAF December Update

Spring is a perfect time to connect at field days and workshops, meet farmers, and hear their stories. Read about the highlights below

 

Information Stalls

The Sustainable Agriculture team hosted stalls at the Kalamunda Forest Festival and the Farmer on Your Plate event in Fremantle, where they chatted to landholders and consumers about regenerative agriculture and the incredible work WA farmers are doing to produce local, sustainable food for people while caring for the land at the same time.

 

Landcare in Action Field Day

On 20^th October, Tibby facilitated a field walk at a Mundaring property as part of the State NRM Community Stewardship project, Make your Hectare Count!

This event was a sell-out, with participants showing great attentiveness and enthusiasm as they learnt from Chris Ferreira (founder of The Forever Project) about implementing sustainable land management practices and techniques to support a healthy, productive ecosystem.

A big thanks goes to the Shire of Mundaring and City of Kalamunda for their partnership in this project and supporting the delivery of purposeful community events.

 

Foodie Bus Tour

Now more than ever, people are excited about food – they want to know the story behind their food and the hard-working families that produce it.

In partnership with PHCC and the SJ Food and Farm Alliance (SJFFA), Perth NRM organised a bus from the city to the SJ Farmers Market and The Natural Circle to provide an opportunity for city consumers to connect with and learn about sustainable, local food production.

Alyssa and Michael, the stewards of The Natural Circle, welcomed attendees to their property to share their regenerative journey and how they’ve been involved in the #pastureraisedinwa campaign. For more, check out Simple Ben Stories – Pasture Raised Campaign.

Guest presenters included The Wheen Bee Foundation ambassador Gary, who discussed the importance of pollinators and Bee Friendly Farming, and Drew from Landcare SJ who shared his agroecology knowledge and expertise.

Uncle Brett Hill gave a heartfelt Welcome to Country at the SJ CRC, highlighting the importance of understanding where your food comes from and supporting local communities.

The tour concluded with a delectable long lunch crafted by Merri (SJFFA) and her incredible team of women using locally sourced ingredients – what a treat!

Massive thanks to everyone involved and our funders, WA State NRM Office Community Stewardship Grants, for making this meaningful event possible.

 

Upcoming Food Systems Conference

If you haven’t already heard, Perth NRM and RegenWA will be hosting a Food Systems Conference at Optus Stadium on 17-18^th September next year (think farming stories, food security, public health and more!) So make sure you save the date and keep your eyes on our socials for more information over the next few months.

The sustainable agriculture team would like to wish you all a wonderful festive season and look forward to more events and collaborations 2025!

If you need support, have any queries, or would like to share a sustainable agriculture story, please email Perth NRM SAF at [email protected].

For further reading and opportunities, checking out the following sustainable agriculture resource links.

 

Funding opportunities:

• Value Add Investment Grants | Agriculture and Food
• Gnangara Horticulture Water Use Efficiency Grants and Voucher Program | Agriculture and Food
• Strengthening Rural Communities — Small & Vital | FRRR
• Strengthening Rural Communities – Prepare & Recover | FRRR
• Hort Innovation Frontiers – Empowering great ideas for tomorrow’s horticulture

Check out the successful Capacity Building and Partnerships & Innovation grant recipients, funded through the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program, DAFF

Participation & training opportunities:

• Agriculture and Horticulture – Australian Online Courses
• EOI for RegenWA Subsidised Online RCS Workshops
• Online Self-Paced Courses – Resource Consulting Services

Award opportunities:

• Bob Hawke Landcare Award
• Soil Health Champion

Sustainable Ag tools:

• Soilmentor
• MyPestGuide Reporter
• Nutrient Calculator
• SOILHEALTH app
• Soil Quality ebooks – SoilsWest
• My Climate View
• AgCarE
• Accounting for Nature

Sustainable Ag publications, WA:

• Farmers reducing greenhouse gases by planting trees, building wetlands and improving nutrition – ABC News
• Corymbia calophylla(Marri) is a major resource for native bees in the southwest western Australian biodiversity hotspot – CSIRO PUBLISHING
• Food waste warriors redirect unwanted produce to homes, charities – ABC News

Sustainable Ag publications from beyond:

• Northern Territory cattle station plans to fight erosion by rehydrating flood plains – ABC News
• Measuring and Valuing Australia’s Ecosystems | Australian Bureau of Statistics
• From field to the cloud: How AI is helping regenerative agriculture to grow | Reuters
• Abandoned Lands: A Hidden Resource for Restoring Biodiversity – Yale E360
• A Global Review of Biodiversity Credit Schemes – Pollination Group
• CDFA – Defining Regenerative Agriculture for State Policies and Programs

Videos & recordings:

• Fixed on Nitrogen: Challenging a Paradigm to Transform Agriculture – Lecture by Dr David Dent
• Farm Learning with Tim Thompson: Is there a Carbon Land Grab Threatening Farms?
• Landcare Webinar Series | Conservation experts | Landcare Australia Landcare Australia
• E. Wood Award Centenary Lecture

Upcoming events & webinars:

• DPIRD WORLD SOIL DAY – WA – Thursday 5^th Dec, South Perth Yacht Club
• Carbon in Agriculture: Understanding ecosystem opportunities for business, Thursday 5^th

 

Sustainable Agriculture Facilitators are supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.