Our Regenerative Farm

Enlisting the expertise from farmers, the knowledge of regenerative agriculture, wisdom holders of sustainable food production and specialists in syntropic agroforestry, LeaderLife use a Syntropic farming model to provide opportunities for people experiencing vulnerabilities in the community to plan, design and implement a sustainable organic food production system. Never before has it been a more important time to implement innovative, meaningful projects to draw young people back to feeling a sense of belonging, independence, generosity and learning as well as creating sustainable food production.

Syntropic farming uses principles from natural systems to combine agriculture and agroforestry. There are many benefits, both economical and ecological, when forestry plots are also planted with small crops and follow a natural succession of planting. Syntropic farming initially needs an irrigation system to ensure the long term, sustainable production of organic food. Then over time the system becomes sustainable and abundant in nutritious food for community.

LeaderLife lease approximately 6 hectares of land on the banks of the Wambuul Macquarie River, lower Tamworth St Dubbo, from Dubbo Regional Council and UPI. Along with the food forest, LeaderLife also run an aquaponics system growing trout in winter and barramundi in the warmer summer months. LeaderLife also have a compost and work farm as well as an apiculture program growing bees for honey production. These practises engage busted kids into the program, sharing the produce through community food drops, local markets, local business and paddock-to-plate events; directly supporting families facing food insecurity in Dubbo and those committed to nutritious food grown with love and intention.

In the growing system is: so many different herbs and vegetables, over 200 native trees, 1700 garlic plants, 364 flowers and companion plants, over 30 fruit trees including apples, mandarins, grapefruit, orange, peach, lemon, mandaring, plum apricot, strawberry guava, quince, persimmon, pomegranate, olive, nectarine, mulberry and pears.

In 2024, LeaderLife’s regenerative farming system won the Dubbo Business Chamber of Commerce Award for Excellence in Sustainability.