Grounded Farmers Exchange Session

Held as part of Grounded Festival in April this year, the Farmers Exchange Sessions brought together farmers, growers, systems thinkers and community builders to share knowledge, explore common challenges and strengthen relationships across the regenerative agriculture community.

The sessions were facilitated by Ivan Blacket and Kristy Stewart with support from Dheepa Jeyapalan from Regen Melbourne.

The sessions centred on horizontal knowledge sharing, building community, and creating practical pathways for collaboration and action within regenerative agriculture and food systems.

Across the two days, participants explored a broad range of interconnected themes relevant to regenerative agriculture, land stewardship, systems change and community resilience. Focus topics were shaped by the Grounded community, with festival attendees invited to add ideas and vote on the conversations they most wanted to explore. Each day, the theme with the most votes was chosen for deeper discussion.

Day 1 Focus Topic: Succession

The succession conversation revealed both the emotional and structural complexity of transitioning land, knowledge and responsibility between generations.

Participants identified a range of barriers and areas where support is urgently needed, including:

• Financial literacy and alternative financial pathways
• Managing expectations between parties
• Power dynamics linked to wealth and land ownership
• Lack of accessible land ownership or sharing models
• Young farmers’ access to land and capital
• Security and long-term stewardship
• Shared equity and alternative ownership structures
• Rising land values disconnected from agricultural productivity
• Intergenerational communication and mentorship
• Labour support and retirement transitions
• Navigating family relational dynamics
• Insurance and legal complexities
• Understanding land capability and profitability pathways
• Alternative land ownership and succession models that support long-term family and ecological stewardship

A recurring theme was that succession is not simply a legal or financial process, but a deeply relational and lifelong one.

Participants explored practical and systemic solutions, including clearer succession resources, stronger financial literacy, alternative land ownership and sharing models, earlier family conversations, greater government support, and access to regenerative-focused legal, advisory and mental health support.

The closing reflections highlighted the value of peer-to-peer dialogue and collective sense-making.

Several participants reflected that hearing others’ experiences reduced feelings of isolation and reinforced that many people are navigating similar complexities.

Notable reflections included:

• “Just talk about it — start the conversation.”
• “Sharing circles are important when family dynamics are tricky.”
• “There are actually a lot of resources out there, but it’s hard to know where they all are.”

Day 2 Focus Topics: Decolonising Agriculture and Supporting Systems Builders & Connectors

Participants explored the understanding that decolonising agriculture is both a systemic and deeply personal process. Discussions considered how regenerative agriculture funders and organisations might also examine and transform their own internal practices, relationships and decision-making structures.

For Sustainable Table, this conversation also connects to our ongoing Reconciliation Action Plan and the work of examining how our own practices, relationships and decision-making can better reflect this commitment.

Conversations also focused on the sustainability of grassroots organisations and connectors such as Landcare, Young Farmers Connect and AFSA.

Participants explored:

• How funding can better reach grassroots organisations
• Burnout and retention challenges within community-building roles
• The importance of supporting “systems builders” who create connection and collaboration across the sector

While no clear solutions emerged, there was strong recognition of the importance of investing in the people and organisations doing connective, relational and facilitative work across regenerative agriculture systems.

Key Reflections

The Farmers Exchange Sessions demonstrated the strong appetite within the regenerative agriculture community for facilitated peer learning spaces grounded in honesty, lived experience and collaboration.

The sessions reinforced that many of the sector’s most pressing challenges, particularly around succession, land access, systems change and community resilience, require relational, community-led approaches alongside structural and policy solutions. They also surfaced concern about the lack of long-term, intergenerational models that hold land stewardship and regenerative agricultural practices at their core.

Participants left with new connections, greater confidence to begin difficult conversations, increased awareness of existing resources and initiatives and a sense of solidarity and shared purpose within the regenerative agriculture movement.

These conversations highlighted the importance of continuing to create spaces where farmers, growers, systems thinkers and community builders can collectively learn, reflect and problem-solve together.