Mornington Peninsula Agroecology Workshop Series – Session 6
Join fellow farmers for a practical introduction to agroecology & regenerative agriculture. Through a mix of interactive on-farm workshops and excursions, you’ll explore the shift from a yield-focused mindset to a systems-based approach grounded in soil health, ecosystem function and resilient farm design. The series brings together science and lived farming experience to help you understand how agroecological principles can be applied in your context.
Who is it for?
Farmers, growers, viticulturists and horticulturists who are curious about more holistic, regenerative ways of farming. No prior knowledge needed—just curiosity and a desire to learn.
Key Features
Featuring established practitioners and speakers from the world of agroecology, including Courtney Young and Tanya Massy, each session will pair farmer-led theory and practice in both the “classroom” and paddock. You’ll have the opportunity to dive deep into both the fundamentals and tools of agroecology, investigating ecosystem dynamics in your farming context.
Details on each workshop and excursion can be found in the Agenda.
1 on 1 Agroecology baseline assessment
Before week 1 of the series all participants will have the opportunity to sit down with a facilitator for a guided conversation and TAPE tool assessment. This tool has been developed by the FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organisation) to support regional transformations to agroecological practices. Completing this assessment prior to the workshops will equip you with a thorough understanding of the strengths and opportunities in your current farm system.
Learning Platform
Enriching the in-person element will be a digital learning platform rich with fundamental resources, further reading and suggestions for diving deeper as you progress through your learning journey.
What you will walk away with
A clear, practical understanding of practices and principles that can be applied on your farm and a supportive network of like minded farmers to grow with. You’ll build skills in reading your landscape, improving soil biology, integrating trees and animals, and creating realistic pathways toward improved farm-systems resilience.
Logistics
Workshops will be held at farms and halls on the Mornington Peninsula, running each Friday from 10am until 3pm. During the workshop series there will be two opportunities to attend excursions out of the region. Participants will also have access to 1-2 hours of online pre and post-event resources for each week.
A light lunch is included in all sessions and excursions include transport.
Your facilitator
Jack Newman-Morris is an agroecology systems educator focused on working with farmers building resilient, biologically driven farming systems. He has completed advanced training with Nicole Masters’ Integrity Soils and Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web School. Jack facilitates practical, locally grounded learning alongside experienced regenerative practitioners.
Cost
We are fortunate to be able to offer this amazing lineup of topics and speakers at a heavily subsidised fee of $50/week for the workshops and $75 for the excursions. To facilitate peer-to-peer learning numbers will be capped and priority will be given to attendees who can commit to a minimum of 4 sessions. If cost is a barrier we encourage you to email sarah.saxton@mornpen.vic.gov.au so that we can support your involvement.
This event is an initiative of the Mornington Peninsula Shire to form part of the Farming Our Way project being delivered under the Food and Agroecology Strategy.
This event is funded by the Australian Government through funding from the National Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture program.
Agenda
Week 1 – 24 April: Agroecology and Your Landscape
Explore what agroecology means in practice, grounded in both scientific principles and First Nations perspectives. Participants will reflect on their own values and goals, setting a clear foundation for their learning journey. Includes: • A facilitator-led introduction to agroecology and systems-based thinking • A First Nations perspective on Country and agriculture from Hudson Fraser of Living Culture • An interactive values exercise diving into what mindset drives their farming — and exploring the tensions between those values • A farm mapping activity grounding the day’s conversations in each participant’s own place Host farm TBA
Week 2 – 1 May 2026 – Ecosystem Processes and Landscape Function
Jake Chandler- Catalyst Soils
Understand how natural systems function to build resilience, productivity, and ecological health. This session focuses on working with, rather than against, ecosystem processes and improving resource stewardship on your land. Jake will cover: • Plant succession through a farm lens: what grows where, and what that tells you about disturbance history and soil health • Feedback loops — how a single well-timed intervention can break a degradation spiral and initiate a regenerative one • A hands-on soil demonstration with Jake Chandler, making the link between soil biology and landscape water behaviour visible and tangible • How healthy soils shape landscape behaviour at scale, including temperature, humidity and water retention Host farm TBA
Week 3 – 8 May: Soil as a Living System at Tuerong Farm
Courtney Young: Soils for Life and Woodstock Flour
Dive into soil as a dynamic, living ecosystem that underpins plant and farm health. Learn practical approaches to observing, monitoring, and enhancing soil function to support long-term productivity. Courtney will cover: • The soil food web: who lives there, what they do, and why a biologically active soil is a slow-release fertility system • The rhizosphere — how plants actively recruit the microbial communities they need, and what happens when that system breaks down • Biological farming principles with Courtney Young: diversity, ground cover, living roots and disturbance management • Practical soil health indicators readable without a laboratory: structure, smell, colour, root depth and plant stress signals Host by Tuerong Farm
Week 4 – 15 May: Excursion Bambra Agroforestry & Resilience Farming
Experience applied agroecology through agroforestry systems and composting practices. Participants will gain practical insights into building diversity, fertility, and resilience on-farm. A bus will depart from and return to a central point on the Peninsula. Learn more about Rowan Reid’s farm here: https://agroforestry.net.au/
Week 5 – 22 May: Excursion -Lemah Park
See agroecology in action through a focus on water management, landscape design and grazing management. This field day highlights how hydrology and management practices impact system health. A bus will depart from and return to a central point on the Peninsula. If you wish to drive separately please let us know.
Week 6 – 29 May: Integrating Animals & the role of Insects
Discover the role of animals and insects as powerful tools within agroecological systems. Farms are alive with insects! From predatory ladybirds to parasitoid wasps and from hoverflies to green grass-darts, our farms support an extraordinary diversity of beneficial creatures. These insects are not only fascinating and beautiful – they also play vital roles in keeping our agroecosystems healthy. They pollinate, recycle organic matter, provide food for other animals, and help control pests. This talk will bring you closer to the hidden diversity of insects in our farms, celebrating their beauty and highlighting the benefits they deliver to us and other species. Host farm TBA
Week 7 – 5th June: Towards your Vision
Bring it all together by connecting agroecological principles to your own context and goals. This session supports participants to plan their transition, prioritise actions, and embed well-being in their farming future. Diving into topics including: • Living and working with an integrated consciousness of the linkages between soil and landscape health and human wellbeing and stress • Integrating holistic decision making and planning in management, community, ecology supply chain and succession decisions • Clarifying a context and deep purpose • Transition and Implementation tools and strategies Hosted by Adam Collins at Barragunda Farm