Influential individuals who have a deep understanding and appreciation for how important nutrient dense and healthy soils are for diverse, healthy ecosystems
and the quality of the produce yield.
Clayton Donovan
Australia's most celebrated indigenous chef
Clayton Donovan, Australia's only hatted indigenous chef and star of the ABC’s ‘Wild Kitchen’, enjoys sourcing plants from the bush and foraging for amazing native ingredients.
Indigenous food can be described in many different ways such as bush tucker, native food or Aboriginal food, but chef Clayton Donovan prefers to describe it as using native ingredients with the foods that everyone eats.
When he was just four years old, Clayton would go foraging with his Aunty Jess around their home in the Nambucca Valley in Australia, passing on knowledge that had been shared through generations of indigenous people. Meanwhile, at home his Mum would be trying out new recipes from Europe and it was this fusion of flavours that left an indelible mark on him, which would one day define his career as a celebrated chef and champion of bush foods.
Charlie Arnott
Educator and passionate advocate for Regenerative Farming practices
Fifteen years ago, Boorowa farmer Charlie Arnott was reeling from the effects of the Millennium drought. He attended a workshop on regenerative agriculture that radically changed the way he farmed and, he believes, saved his life.
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He had been farming conventionally using pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers, but the course taught him how to partner with nature instead of trying to control it.
It has turned around his farm's capacity to deal with drought and he currently has plenty of water and grass for his livestock even as the drought in New South Wales, Australia intensifies.
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Charlie practices regenerative, organic, biodynamic farming and holistic grazing principles on his 2020 hectare mixed farming property in Hanaminno. He has won several agricultural industry awards for leadership, resource management and conservation.
Joel Orchard
Farmer, Food System Activist, Photographer
Food systems activist, passionate advocate for young farmers, and local food and activated agricultural industry networker.
Joel’s interests lay in exploring the social sustainability of local food production and tackling the issue of an ageing farmer population.
Joel has been instrumental in establishing a young farmers hub called Future Feeders, as well as peer support, community farming programs and the Northern Rivers Young Farmers Alliance - a capacity building organisation.
He is a graduate of the RMIT Applied Science in Scientific Photography (2009) Degree and enjoys using his background in photography to creatively explore the complex web of life in agro-ecologies, and share moments of beauty, amazement and intrigue through the lens of everyday lessons of life on the farm.