#115 Farming Wonder

Tanya Massy on growing up, starting up & scaling up regeneration

Tanya Massy is one of three brilliant daughters of regenerative agriculture legend, Charles Massy. Though she’ll tell you she’s been equally inspired by the strength and spirit of her mother Fiona. Great lineage aside, Tanya is forging her own pivotal path as a regenerative farmer, award-winning writer, and highly respected researcher.

A couple of recent reports, in particular, are making a big impact, exploring the barriers to regeneration, and breakthrough opportunities, with communities around Australia and the world. Stemming from that, she’s helping to create more of those breakthrough opportunities in some significant ways. Meanwhile, she continues to chart her own farming journey, starting up a new enterprise far from home.

Tanya in the foreground, with little companion Nullaki at her feet, partner Kris to her right, and Olivia to her left (pic: Anthony James).

“If you look at it from a systems perspective, there are niches where the innovation starts to occur, and they can be very quickly stamped out. But if we focus our attention on those niches, that’s where we put the support. That’s where you put the investment. You come in where those people on the ground, facing all of those lock-ins, are somehow finding a way.”

— Tanya Massy

This is where we meet for this conversation - at the new farm, Wildewood, near the town of Denmark in the south of Western Australia. I’d last seen Tanya there in late 2020, just as they were settling on the land purchase. A little over a year later, and we’re one of their first customers at the local farmers market. But none of this story follows a straight line.

This conversation was recorded at Wildewood Farm on 23 January 2022.

Click on the photos below for full view, and hover over them for descriptions where they’ve been added (all pics by Anthony James except for the brand image).