“Landcare has a big opportunity to encourage youth into the agricultural industry through the lens of environmental concerns. Landcare is inextricably linked with ethical and ecological farming practices providing a conduit and voice for solutions to issues of this era such as climate change, land degradation, animal ethics and human health; making landcare and farming attractive to young people.” Andrew Stewart, VIC Australian Government Landcare Award Finalist.

The Stewarts are innovative community leaders who have adopted Landcare and agroforestry principles on their 230-ha farm ‘Yan Yan Gurt West’. 30 years ago, the Stewart’s developed a whole farm plan to tackle issues such as gully erosion, salinity, waterlogging, exposure and ecological decline. Since then, woody vegetation coverage has increased from 3% to 18%, and their whole farm plan serves as an example for a more sustainable future, which has gone beyond a carbon neutral production system for their sheep enterprise.

The family is committed to sharing their learnings about the benefits of trees on farms. They have shared this message with farm tours for more than 5000 people, countless media interviews, written reports, and through case studies, including videos, in school curriculums.

Andrew and Jill have also been very proactive in their community, driving outcomes such as the revegetation of the 18km Yan Yan Gurt Creek and participating in the maintenance of Bambra Wetlands.