“We still know so little about the complexity and intelligence of the natural world we are part of, and what a humbling and wondrous thing that is. I hope this report succeeds in sparking curiosity and inspires new perspectives about our connection to food, why we grow it, the land that produces it and the people we share it with.”

Claudia Benn, 2024 Nuffield Drought Resilience Scholar and grazier from Arcadia Valley in Central Queensland, has released a new report exploring how resilient farming systems are built not through a recipe of management practices, but through a deeper understanding of the living systems we farm within. It encourages farmers to get to know their systems more intimately and to be curious, observant and creative when it comes to adopting new practices.

Claudia’s report, Building resilience through ecological literacy, connection and community, is the first to be released from Nuffield Australia’s 2024 Drought Resilience Scholars — a cohort supported through a dedicated partnership with the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. 

For the first time, Nuffield Australia offered at least five specific drought resilience scholarships as part of this program, weaving drought and climate resilience into the scholarship experience to help scholars build the knowledge, skills and networks to make a difference in their communities.

Rather than providing practice change recommendations, Claudia’s research encourages a fundamental shift in perspective. Her report highlights how farmers across Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Georgia, Turkey, Romania, France, Canada and the USA are drawing on science, generational knowledge, lived experience and careful observation of landscapes to shape their farming systems. 

From exploring livestock stewardship with a shepherd in the French Alps, to diversifying enterprises in Zimbabwe and reconnecting producers and consumers in Canada, Claudia found that despite the vastly different landscapes and farming systems, the most progressive and resilient farming families shared several similar qualities. They were deeply curious and embraced the complexity of the biological communities they farmed within, they continually observed, experimented and adapted, and they valued connection at every level - from soil, microbes and plants to livestock, landscapes and people.

 Throughout the report, Claudia explores how nature itself models resilience. She examines how plants and soil microbes communicate and cooperate in ways that strengthen entire ecosystems, how livestock pass on nutritional knowledge to increase localised adaptability, and how diversity across soils, plants and animals creates stability in the face of change. 

“These are not simply fascinating ecological observations - they are valuable lessons for all of us in agriculture. Just as balanced, productive ecosystems rely on adaptability, diversity and connection, I believe our farms and communities can become more resilient when we embrace these same principles.”

Claudia’s Nuffield Scholarship was funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, whose investment in research and leadership development is helping Australian producers build knowledge and capability to strengthen the long-term resilience of Australia’s agricultural sector.

Claudia’s full report, Building resilience through ecological literacy, connection and community, and her presentation at the 2025 Nuffield National Conference in Adelaide, are available on the Nuffield Australia website. Information about the Drought Resilience Scholarship program is available on Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund website.