Category Archives: Education & Science

Feature Interviews by Future Directions International with Dr Maarten Stapper: The Link Between Healthy Food and Biological Farming

The Northern Australia and Land Care Research Programme of Future Directions International (FDI) is pleased to release a two-part Feature Interview:

Science in the Club: The Power of Plants

A fun get together at the Wicklow Hotel on Wednesday evening 11th April hosted by Dr James O’Hanlon (UNE). From Indigenous medicine to modern agriculture, plants are at the root of our very survival. Learn about where traditional knowledge and … Continue reading

The Armidale Express: Agricultural field day plants big ideas for future of farming

Published 11 April 2018 During a day about future agriculture some 100 students from Armidale High School, New England Girls School, O’Connor Catholic College, Presbyterian Ladies College, Farrer Agricultural Boys College Tamworth and Guyra High School learned in four groups … Continue reading

In Situ Science – podcast of interview by Dr James O’Hanlon (UNE) on 10 April 2018

Ep 48. Soil microbes and healthy farming with Maarten Stapper. How do you know if you have healthy soil? Look for worms! Dr Maarten Stapper joins us on In Situ Science to chat about how caring for soils and healthy … Continue reading

Recommended reading: ‘Call of the Reed Warbler’

A New Agriculture – A New Earth Book by Charles Massy Originally published 2017 by University of Queensland Press Author and radical farmer Charles Massy’s book Call of the Reed Warbler explores transformative and regenerative agriculture and the vital connection … Continue reading

What affects Gut Health, Food Quality and Soil Health? How are they connected?

A dietician’s and agricultural scientist’s insights and suggestions. Summary from Baw Baw Food Movement workshop ‘Healthy soils, Nutritional food, Healthy people‘, 21 September 2017. By Marieke Rodenstein, Dietitian and Nutritionist (www.thenutritionpractice.com.au) and Dr Maarten Stapper, Farming Systems Agronomist The mention … Continue reading

Why is a soil healthy? When is a soil sick?

Dr Maarten Stapper focussed on the health of soils with the Horticulture class at Central Midlands Senior High School in Moora, 9 March 2017. Firstly, we went to the garden and compost heap. There we wondered how we can see … Continue reading

Building Healthy Communities

Dr Maarten Stapper discussed food production & processing, with support of Marieke Rodenstein, nutritionist & dietitian, ‘How our gut flora influences our health’. World-wide industrial farming practices are degrading soils and bringing about dependency on the use of more synthetic … Continue reading

The Wonderful Students at Clayton North School Garden

How do we make students aware of the links between healthy soils, healthy food and healthy bodies? To support this awareness from a young age the Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) started the Organic School Gardens Program (OSGP) in 2010. … Continue reading

VIDEO: Agricultural Science and Technology is Stuck in a Rut

Presented at the 10th International Permaculture Conference in Jordan and recorded by Craig Mackintosh who gives the following introduction. “I’ve been a fan of Maarten Stapper’s work for a while now. In fact, further below you’ll find an article I … Continue reading