Farming Matters – For our Love of the Land
Allan Savory’s Holistic Management is one of the foundations of regenerative agriculture. During the Australian Holistic Management Co-operative’s 2021 Conference, Allan, along with an array of other diverse and well qualified presenters, explored how we can respond to environmental stewardship, climate variability, innovation, developments in natural capital and the growing consumer demand for sustainable regenerative produce.
The Lachlan Hughes Foundation collaborated with Young Farmers Connect to support Pippa Arnold to attend this Conference.
Philip Hughes and Pippa Arnold Farming Matters Conference – click for link to presentations.
A short summary from Pippa of her thoughts on the conference and sponsorship.
I was given an incredible opportunity to attend the ‘Farming Matters – For our Love of the Land Conference’ in Albury NSW on 30th March, followed by a field day, thanks to sponsorship from the Lachlan Hughes Foundation.
The conference was bursting with enthusiasm, ideas and success stories of how regenerative agriculture restores soil, animal health, grasslands and biodiversity while also increasing quality of life, communities and financial security. Listening to and meeting people from all over Australia who are working with the land in a regenerative way was greatly inspiring and encouraging, reinforcing my passion for farming.
With a background in market gardening and permaculture I have witnessed how, by using regenerative practices such as cover cropping, mulching, composting and rotational planting, the soil becomes rich and fertile, creating a natural balance within the garden and improving the nutritional value of the vegetables.
The conference gave me a holistic and practical understanding of how what I have experienced on a small scale can be applied to a much larger landscape through the use of large grazing animals. This was a very exciting discovery for me, as the possibility of using farming as a tool to return large amounts carbon back to the soil, restore desertifying landscapes and increase biodiversity acts as a very practical way to mitigate the effects of climate change.
This year I am planning to continue my learning and experience in the field by working and living on regenerative farms throughout Australia before starting a project of my own. Attending the ‘Farming Matters’ conference was an amazing way to kick start this journey and to meet the supportive network of like-minded people working for the land.
Such a big thank you to the Hughes family and the Lachlan Hughes Foundation supporters and sponsors for making this possible, I am still buzzing with all that I learnt!
Pippa Arnold