Welcome to the first episode of the Australian Agroecology Radio Hour!

In this debut episode we chat all things Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance with Jessie Power and dive deep with Dominique Chen on indigenous food sovereignty.

Dominique Chen links:

www.yuruwan.org.au
www.walkingstory.com.au

Support this podcast at buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Follow AFSA's work at www.afsa.org.au

In this episode of the Agroecology Radio Hour, host Lucy Ridge talks with John Monaghan and Alan Smith from Rocking Chair Farm in the Hunter Valley (Wonnarua country) about how chance meetings, shared meals, and big conversations grew into an intergenerational farming partnership. John and Alan farm angus beef, Australian white lamb, chooks, hops, and veggies on 800 acres and sell direct to the public.

They unpack their journeys from diverse past careers to farming and then from conventional production to holistic, regenerative decision-making, and dive deep into their unusual succession and land-share arrangement that has been built on trust and relationships. Along the way they explore the real costs and legal complexity of doing succession differently, the value of involving partners and community, and why selling direct to customers has helped them build both profitability and stronger relationships. The conversation ripples outward into local food sovereignty in action, from field days to a micro-abattoir co-op and on-farm events.

AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/

Rocking Chair Farm: https://www.rockingchairfarm.com.au/

Follow this link to help fund this podcast: https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

In this months episode we chat with Chris Smaje; he is an aspiring woodsman, stockman, gardener, and peasant in Somerset, southwest England. Chris is also an author who writes urgently about the need for a small farm future, making the case for organising communities around small scale local agroecological farming in order to meet both the environmental and political challenges of our times.

Chris is the author "Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future" and "A Small Farm Future".

Chris has just finished a new book "Finding Lights in a Dark Age: Sharing Land, Work and Craft". It will be released on the 11th of November 2025. It can be pre-ordered here.

Follow this link to help fund this podcast:

https://buymeacoffee.com/agroecologyradiohour

Links:

Become a member of AFSA: https://afsa.org.au/join-us/

Chris Smaje: https://chrissmaje.com/