The formation of Landcare
Landcare provides a vision for the transformation to ecological sustainability embraced by all sides of politics.
Conservationists and farmers might have once seemed like strange bedfellows but the launch of Landcare shows what a shared desire to create positive change can achieve.
An alliance between ACF and National Farmers' Federation, Landcare provided a vision for the transformation to ecological sustainability that was embraced by all major political parties.
Established in 1989, the project became a national program to guide Australia’s increasingly urban and less agrarian economy towards environmental sustainability.
Landcare formally recognised the shared goals of farmers and environmentalists
During the 1990s, the Landcare alliance grew to over 2000 groups. Its most important early achievement was to change the national thinking ‘beyond the farm gate’. Today, it boasts over 4000 community Landcare groups, 2000 Coastcare groups and thousands of volunteers across the country.
“It got neighbours talking, sitting down to work out solutions to common problems,” says Don Henry, ACF's CEO.
“The more people from different backgrounds are brought together, the more we’re disentangled from the prejudices and misconceptions holding us back.”
Landcare continues to develop shared understanding between conservation goals and sustainable farming practices.
