About

Living Earth College

Activating Local Food Systems

Learn how to rebuild resilient local food systems — from soil to society.

A 7-week professional program for farmers, community organisers, designers, and policymakers.

Beginning 17 April 2026

🌱 Certificate in Local Food Systems Activation
🌱 Live weekly seminars and practical system design
🌱 Limited to 20 participants worldwide

Applications close 16 April or when the cohort reaches capacity.

Tuition

$690 AUD
(€420 EUR / CHF 410 / £360 GBP / $450 USD)

Early founding rate:

$540 AUD
(€330 EUR / CHF 320 / £285 GBP / $350 USD)

→ View program details and enroll

Why this work matters now

Across the world communities are rediscovering the importance of strong local food systems.

Farmers are seeking viable local markets.
Regions are looking for ways to support small producers.
Citizens want greater connection to the land that feeds them.

Yet the knowledge required to organise and activate local food systems is rarely taught in one place.

Agriculture education often focuses on production.
Policy education focuses on institutions.
Community initiatives focus on individual projects.

What is often missing is the ability to see and coordinate the whole system.

Living Earth College was created to address this gap.

The college brings together insights from farming, community food initiatives, infrastructure development, and policy design to support people working to strengthen food systems in their own regions.

What you will learn

The Activating Local Food Systems program explores food systems as living systems shaped by relationships between land, people, infrastructure, and governance.

Participants learn how to strengthen food systems through:

• soil health and ecological farming
• seed saving and crop exchange networks
• community food economies such as food boxes and markets
• regional food infrastructure including food hubs
• governance and food policy
• systems thinking for long-term resilience

By the end of the program participants develop a place-based strategy for activating a local food system in their region.

→ Explore the full course curriculum

The Seven Levels of Local Food Systems

Healthy food systems grow through multiple interconnected layers.

Living Earth College explores seven levels that shape how food systems evolve.

1. Perception and philosophy
How our understanding of land, economy, and community shapes the way food systems develop.

2. Living rhythms and timing
Observation of seasonal and ecological cycles guiding agricultural life.

3. Soil and farm organism
Healthy soils, composting, biodiversity, and resilient farm systems.

4. Seed and crop infrastructures
Seed libraries, crop swaps, and community seed saving that strengthen crop diversity.

5. Community food economies
Food boxes, markets, and gardens connecting farmers and citizens.

6. Regional food infrastructure
Food hubs, distribution networks, and shared facilities supporting farmers.

7. Policy and bioregional systems
Governance frameworks that shape how food systems develop across landscapes.

Understanding these layers allows communities to move beyond isolated projects toward coordinated food systems.

→ Learn how the seven levels work in practice

Origins of the College

Living Earth College grew from many years of practical food systems work across Australia.

Projects such as the Docklands Food Garden in Melbourne, Huon Valley Food Hub in Tasmania, Politecnio di Milano COLTIVANDO project, EU policy making programs, the Peach & Pear Food Box, and the Shepparton Food Hub explored how communities can strengthen local food economies through collaboration between farmers, citizens, and institutions.

These initiatives included the creation of seed libraries, crop swaps, food box programs, and regional food infrastructure supporting small farmers.

This body of work later became the focus of doctoral research examining how communities can activate local food systems in practice.

Magical Farm Tasmania emerged as a place where these ideas could be explored through biodynamic agriculture, seed exchange, and community gatherings.

Living Earth College was created to share these learnings with a wider community.

The Seed Cohort

The April 2026 intake forms the founding cohort of Living Earth College.

Participants in this first program become part of the Seed Cohort, helping shape the direction of the college as it grows.

To maintain meaningful dialogue and learning, places are limited to:

20 participants

Join the Cohort here

A personal invitation

Over many years I have worked with farmers, communities, and local governments exploring how stronger local food systems might emerge.

Through initiatives such as the Docklands Food Garden, the Peach & Pear Food Box, and the Shepparton Food Hub, I saw both the potential of community food initiatives and the structural barriers that often prevent them from flourishing.

My doctoral research later reflected on these experiences and asked a simple question:

What conditions allow local food systems to truly thrive?

Living Earth College was created to share these insights and support people working to strengthen food systems in their own regions.

If you feel called to participate in this work, I warmly invite you to join the first cohort.

Dr Emily Samuels-Ballantyne
Founder, Living Earth College

Join the Seed Cohort

Program begins: 17 April 2026
Duration: 7 weeks
Format: Live online seminars + systems design exercises

Tuition

$690 AUD
(€420 EUR / CHF 410 / £360 GBP / $450 USD)

Early founding rate:

$540 AUD
(€330 EUR / CHF 320 / £285 GBP / $350 USD)

→ Enroll in the program

A growing network

Living Earth College connects practitioners working across farming, community initiatives, design, and governance who are committed to strengthening local food systems.

From small farms to regional initiatives, the work of rebuilding food systems is already underway in many places.

Living Earth College exists to support those ready to take part.