Editorial

This month’s editorial provides insight into both the art and science of regenerative agriculture. It then concludes with an overview of how the brain and its parts specialise to create such different perspectives. First, the artistic impulse, exemplified in Catherine Twomey ...

If there are two things Catherine Twomey wants to evoke in her art, they would be a deep, emotional response to the natural world and a compulsion to try to protect a world increasingly in need of protection.

“As an artist, I like my work to speak for itself. To add a bit of substance though, my work is tied to my personal ethos. I am deeply concerned about the environment and planet Earth, while at the same time I’m fascinated by the universe and all things Hubble/Webb Telescope.

“The majesty and beauty of our fragile Earth is a muse—if I can capture her depth, energy and preciousness, I can also share and heighten my awareness of her fleeting uniqueness.”

Meet Catherine Twomey as she reflects on her art here.

From a science perspective, the exploration is more about biodiversity and climate change but is no less effective in carrying a message that most farmers can respond to, particularly if the message is well conveyed, which is evident in the following. Three different regenerative practices are covered in a video that highlights the role of regenerative agriculture in producing food and healing the land. I think you will appreciate Jimi Eisenstein’s video, What is regenerative agriculture? from 4returns.commonland.com.

But where does the brain enter this discussion? Iain McGilchrist would indicate that art is more of a function of the right hemisphere and science of the brain’s left hemisphere. In life, we need to use both, he maintains, but due to many influences one side of the brain – the left hemisphere – gets to do all the work, while the right hemisphere is more of a sleeping partner. Dr McGilchrist is a neuroscientist and psychiatrist living and working in Scotland. His research into right brain left brain behaviour is powerful, as captured in his two books The Matter of Things and The Master and the Emissary.

At this point it is worth taking 10 minutes to review his thinking in this delightfully informative cartoon.

Once you’ve watched the video, I invite you to ponder on this conundrum: how different would Australian agriculture be today if the educational curriculum in agriculture at the tertiary level was based more on the use of the right brain? In fact – and this is a good point for an advertisement – the specialisation in regenerative agriculture at Southern Cross University, as designed, in part, by this Institute, does contain just that with its emphasis on holism.

If you want more on the divided brain and its impact on life today, click on the following link to listen to a Local Futures podcast: Iain McGilchrist – Rediscovering wisdom in a world gone mad.

Kerry Cochrane, President & Editor

What is regenerative agriculture?

This is a question that seemingly defies a clear response. It is many things but in essence it has a simple explanation! It is about holism and the way we think and the way in which we use our imagination. It is about systems thinking and about understanding complexity. Fundamentally it is about systemic connections rather than isolating components of a system which is the primary mechanism underlying reductionist science (and therefore conventional agriculture). The broad sweep of this definition is often neglected by proponents of regenerative agriculture. Their focus tends towards an understanding of the natural world as the sole response needed. Full stop. While this is important it is not the final answer. All this is a segue into the following article which demonstrates nicely the complexity of the term regenerative. While the article is U.S. based it holds truths for Australian farming. To read the story, click here.

Deep Time: Title of a book on regenerative agriculture in Australia

In my previous life as an academic at Charles Sturt University (Orange) and as Course Coordinator of the Bachelor of Ecological Agriculture I worked with Chris Alenson who features in the next story. Chris was a contract teacher into the program which included writing and teaching the unit on Organic Agriculture. Now retired Chris has turned his hand to writing a book on the subject. The following is taken from the dust cover blurb where the contents and purpose of the book are neatly stated. For students and farmers alike, this book will meet a need for those wanting to understand more about this emerging approach to agriculture.

Soil scientists, agronomists and those involved in agricultural production with the best of intentions try to find a balance between the production that supplies food and fibre for a demanding world and resource protection. Unfortunately, much of this production has come at the expense of the very resources that support it.

The introduction of the concept of Deep Time in this book discusses a previously underrated threat of diminishing resources provided by geological processes over hundreds and sometimes millions of years which as Chris illustrates has ramifications for agriculture. Further discussion of the Anthropocene period confronts us with the environmental damage that we as a race have inflicted on this earth, much of it as a result of agricultural activities. The message is clear that changes to agricultural production are desperately required. Chris has lectured widely across Australia on sustainability and soil health and provides in later chapters practical advice on how to manage our soil-based resources where the production of healthy food and fibre is also accompanied by wider benefits to the environment and the community. Chris Alenson's observations, validated by extensive research data, demonstrate that much of the current approach to agriculture is unsustainable. The antithesis of this is that many thousands of producers across the world are managing their land-based assets in a sustainable manner and as such provide practical models that can provide inspiration to producers wishing to transition to a more ecological and responsible approach to production. Chris has written a book that is dense with information that comes from a lifetime's depth of experience in organic and sustainable agriculture. This unique book is a wonderful resource for farmers.

Reviewed by DR. ANDRE LEU D.SC. BA COM, GHAU DIP EL

To order your copy, please contact the author, Chris Alenson on (03) 5968 3040 or calenson@bigpond.com.

YLAD field day report

YLAD Living Soils is an Australian owned company based in Young, New South Wales. It offers educational programs and agronomic advice on natural farming systems to farmers making the transition from industrial to sustainable biological agriculture. A recent field day at YLAD HQ in Young drew a big crowd interested in the YLAD way of composting and farming. Present was IEA supporter and former IEA Board member Jen Ringbauer of Orange. Jen filed the following impressions.

Many years ago, I bought a one tonne bulk bag of compost to give the soil in my market garden a kick start. An ideal for my new venture was to keep inputs to a minimum: fuel, synthetics, water and labour, while using as little land as possible to grow an abundance of food to supply two local grocers. I had observed and listened to those who had market gardened before me for years, and finally it was time to give it a red-hot go. The compost came from YLAD – at the time (and possibly even today) the best quality compost you could purchase. It was practically in my backyard, only two hours drive away.

This was the coming together of life: the wonderful structure and high nutrient soil that was laid down 11 million years ago when the dominant feature of the landscape erupted out of Earth, the compost offering fresh populations of microbes in the soil, my indigenous and existing micro-organisms; years of listening, reading and learning from many sources; the privilege of having land and heritage seed available; and the wonderful and fulfilling ideal of helping to feed my community nutrient rich food free from synthetic chemicals.

The YLAD seminar was another coming together of life. My student priced ticket gave me entry, I arrived with my Institute of Ecological Agriculture leanings and learnings, and recognised a number of old and new work connections among the presenters and delegates. I felt like a fresh microbe in an old paddock!

I heard Graeme Sait for the first time. He spoke three times over the two days with a slightly different message each time, but the underlying theme was of nutrient rich food grown well that leads to planetary, human and economic health. This was certainly echoed, with more practical application, by YLAD owner Rhonda Daly herself. Joel Williams, another fresh voice to me, spoke about multi-species cropping and this emerging field of practice. The take home message from this presentation was that the benefits of this growing system are many for the short and long term and the magic number of species needed is a lot lower than you would think. He discussed the importance of looking at how many species of plants you can add, but how many functions of plants you can work with, offering us a wonderful list of possible functions of plants. The aim is to nurture healthy soils, resulting in drought and flood resilience! Guy Webb spoke of his journey of discovery into the role of fungi in the soil, fungi having an important role in sequestering soil organic carbon.

There were many other presentations, but the standout presentation for me and many others was that of Jade Killoran from Healthy Farming Systems, Victoria. She has been involved in some multispecies cover cropping trials across east, west and central Victoria and has been enquiring into the profitability of cover cropping compared to more conventional cropping. Preliminary results show that multispecies cover cropping is productive and profitable, they are more resilient to pests, diseases and severe climate stressors, and there is increased ground cover, biomass, root depth and density. The increased root depth contributes to better soil moisture use.

The coming together of ideas and practices is always refreshing and inspiring at conferences. The connections and ability to localise the information is pure humus! I look forward to seeing what unfolds with this fresh inoculation of information for all involved.

Invitation to attend nine webinars on regenerative agriculture offered through the IEA

You are warmly invited to participate in the inaugural offering of this program. Aspects to consider:

1. Each webinar will cost you only $10. The overall cost will be $90. (The low price is a consequence of a grant from Landcare.)

2. Each webinar will last 60 minutes on Zoom.

3. Written materials supporting each webinar will be sent 7 days prior to the session.

4. The webinars cover the personal aspect of regenerative agriculture, which is the essence of regenerative farming. You will learn about learning, thinking, values, systems, holism, emergence, nested contexts, as well as farming techniques involving farmers who farm this way.

5. The nine sessions are based on material written for the Regenerative Agriculture course at Southern Cross University but rewritten for a broader audience, so is of value to the general public as well as students.

6. The webinars would be of value to those who wish to challenge their thinking. The ideas covered are not necessarily specific to agriculture; they refer to a broader context.

7. Each session will be recorded and available to those who cannot attend a given session.

8. The program will commence once enrolments reach 16.

If you are interested in participating write to kcochrane@ecoag.org.au or phone 0402 008 100.

Where is the accreditation up to?

The Ecological (Regenerative) Agriculture accreditation policies will be launched at a student dinner at Southern Cross University on the 22nd April. The policies will provide standards to ensure that regenerative agriculture doesn’t become subject to greenwashing, which is what has happened and continues to happen to the term ‘sustainable’. Details of the program will be in the next edition of the Newsletter.

Editor: Kerry Cochrane
Technical Director: Tony McKenzie Ph.D.

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