Podcast: Indigenous agriculture uses ancient knowledge and native plants to farm with the land, not against it
Imagine for breakfast having Kakadu plum jam on freshly toasted kangaroo grass bread, a hot pot of wattle seed coffee steeping on the kitchen table. Is it that hard to picture?
Before wheat was wheat, it was a grass. It was introduced to Australia, and every year it struggles against our fickle climate.
But we do have native grasses that First Nations Australians have cultivated for years, like kangaroo grass. Over millennia its grain was ground to make dough for damper. It's a hardy, resilient grass found all over the country.
Latarnie McDonald and Rodney Carter are trying to make kangaroo grass a viable crop. Picture: Tom Melville
There are experiments taking place around the country, led by First Nations people, to test the viability of native plants as a sustainable, desirable and profitable crop.
With land degradation and climate change front of mind, there's a growing movement toward more regenerative and sustainable farming.
Kangaroo grass being cultivated in Dja Dja Warrung country in Central Victoria. Picture: Tom Melville
But the challenge is ensuring cultural intellectual property is respected and that First Nations people play a central role in the native foods industry. This has not been the case in the past, with the macadamia nut being a marked example.
For this podcast we visited with people on the forefront of Indigenous agriculture.
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform. Just search Voice of Real Australia.
New to podcasts? See our article on how to listen to podcasts.
Join the conversation on our Facebook page, and sign up for the newsletter.
Do you have a story to share? Get in touch: voice@austcommunitymedia.com.au.