Sharing our model:
Innovate to Regenerate Grant from WWF Australia
H🙂FC was awarded a grant from WWF Australia’s ‘Innovate to Regenerate’ funding. WWF-Australia deployed $2 million of seed funding to 25 game-changing regenerative solutions spanning a variety of sectors and communities across Australia. These solutions represent a ‘virtual’ regenerative place-based community.
Being chosen as a grant recipient enabled us to document the history and work of H🙂FC to share with the wider community. This work included exploring potential future farm models for H🙂FC, a study on small farm viability and creation of a Whole Farm Plan, along with work on improving our systems and processes at H🙂FC.
The learnings from the project are available to download below.
Land-sharing models
With the help of Open Food Network Australia, we documented HOFC members experiences with the Co-operative farming model, what’s worked well and what has been challenging. We explored possibilities for other models to help us consider ‘what next’ for HOFC.
“I feel very invested in that place…”
Whole Farm Planning
With the synthesis and facilitation of Anne Maree Docking at Thriving Rural, and input from workshops with Djaara, David Holmgren at Holmgren Design and the local CFA, HOFC worked on seeing the farm as a whole; ecologically, agriculturally and socially. We think working on a process like this could be a great help to anyone considering collaborative farming.
“This Farm Plan aims to give clear direction for land management, biodiversity enhancement and farm productivity…”
Small Farm Viability
Friends of H🙂FC & food system practitioners, Jess Drake and Meg Roberts, explored the viability of each small farm enterprise that was part of HOFC at that time. This included analysis of financials, and extended to holistically consider values, business intentions, livelihood and skills. All of these dynamics interplaying to create very different ‘ingredients’ for viability in each enterprise.
“Let each story of HOFC enterprises serve as a lighthouse to any ships starting their journey — whether it’s land sharing, a small-farm business or a collaborative endeavour...”
