132. An Agroforestry Revolution
Kristy Stewart on family, community & spiritual transformation
Kristy Stewart is a regenerative farmer, free-diver, and next generation community leader. Kristy is already impressing audiences, students and other farmers around the country. And in a sense, it’s no surprise, given her pioneering family stock. Her father is Andrew Stewart, award-winning co-founder with Rowan Reid, in 1993, of the world-renowned Otway Agroforestry Network, in the south-east of Australia. Charles Massy describes it as the flagship of not only a revolution in agroforestry, but in peer-led transformative learning. And the Stewart’s 575-acre farm, Yan Yan Gurt West, is an extraordinary exemplar of what’s possible, in its astounding regeneration of landscape, productivity and community. Now Kristy’s own transformative journey is shaping the next generation of far-reaching possibilities.
Kristy Stewart at home on the farm (supplied).
“We talk about how the Indigenous people have so much incredible knowledge because they observe the landscape and have been involved with it for such a long time. And that is incredibly true from what I can see, but there is something else. There is another level to that, which is this more heart-based, spirit-based connection to country, where there is a knowing in there that is beyond a logical understanding in some way. ”
Kristy talks here with such raw openness about a major transformation in her life, stemming from a journey to South America, and how she’s attempting to live that out. When Kristy subsequently found herself part of a panel conversation with Di Haggerty, she was compelled to spend time with Di at her place. And that’s when I got a call from Di, mid-last year while we were based at Ningaloo Reef, telling me of this impressive couple of sisters at her place, and that one of them was heading our way next – would we be up for meeting? Suffice to say, Kristy made an impression on us too. And a bit under a year later, we were fortunate enough to be visiting the Stewart family farm.
The first half of our conversation here is on some of the incredible story of this family, the regeneration of a landscape, and the broader revolution in their region and beyond. Ground breaking enough. Then the second half of our chat is on Kristy’s transformation, a deepening family story, and how that’s shaping her taking up the mantle with the next generation.
This conversation was recorded at Yan Yan Gurt West farm in the Otways of Victoria, on 18 April 2022.
Click on the photos below for full view, and hover over them for descriptions where they’ve been added.
Find more:
Tune in to a special extra to this episode with Kristy, on enabling next generations.
Australian Agroforestry Foundation.
An invitation to Yan Yan Gurt West farm.
A 5-minute video by the Bob Hawke Award organisers featuring Andrew Stewart, who ended up the award winner.
And an older 5-minute video on Yan Yan Gurt West featuring Kristy and the broader family too, from 2016.
Music:
Regeneration, composed by Amelia Barden, from the soundtrack of the new film Regenerating Australia, available for community screenings now.