Winter 2020 - no fencing, no buildings, no tools. Stepping Stone Farm was a bare paddock and a huge dream. A dream of turning 2 Hectares of Kikuyu into a rich, fertile, productive, market garden. A garden big enough to support a manager, a mentor and up to 8 interns. A farm that would not only grow food but also grow more food growers.
Winter 2022 - two crazy, wet and COVID plagued years later and we are well on the way, because of not despite, the difficulties we have all faced. Growing food is not only hopeful but also powerful. When you are looking at a very uncertain future you have to hang
on to the the small things that make us strong and resilient. Every time we plant a seed and watch it emerge from the soil to grow into something that will nourish our bodies we also nourish our souls. We take back responsibility for feeding ourselves and move one step away from dependence on multinational corporations who want total control over our food chain. Not only that it is fun, healthy and delicious.
Interns & Volunteers - The project was started with some outside funding but the contribution by two amazing inaugural interns, a host of quite extraordinary volunteers and 12 months of EcoCrews have put this dream on its feet. Most of these amazing people are still working with us, they love the energy the farm generates and the knowledge that they are helping to build resilience for the community we serve and themselves. There is no better time to join us.
Why not sign up for an internship or become a volunteer now?
Stepping Stone Farm is only 8kms from the centre of Moruya, NSW.
It has been set up with all the infrastructure, tooling, vehicles and machinery needed for a viable market, farming business based on organic and regenerative farming practices.
There is a full time mentor/manager with many years experience growing vegetables and teaching aspiring farmers. Currently there is 1 Ha under cultivation and the plan is to gradually increase this to 3 Ha over the next few years. Over a 6- 12 month commitment we give interns the skill set, knowledge and experience needed to both develop a business plan and then implement it. We want to give new farmers a better chance of securing capital and land access, and a better chance to realise their farm business aspirations.
We have a weekly stall at the SAGE Farmers Market.
Our vegetables are also available online at the SAGE eMarket.
A number of restaurants and cafés are now getting weekly deliveries of vegetables and microgreens. Interested Chefs, Restaurateurs and Provendores looking for top quality, freshly picked produce please contact manager@steppingstonefarm.com.au
Joyce Wilkie currently manages the farm and mentors both the interns and volunteers. Trained as scientists she and Michael Plane changed direction 35 years ago and turned ‘Allsun’, a bush block near Gundaroo, NSW, into a small diverse organic farm selling vegetables, fruit, eggs and pork into Canberra. She is now using her years of experience in production and teaching to turn Stepping Stone Farm from a grassy paddock into a viable market garden making sure that the intern and volunteer team members learn as much as possible about the many ways to successfully grow organic vegetables.