FAQ

General

What is Holistic Management?

Holistic Management (HM) enables you to live your values and vision every day, with every decision you make and action you take. By considering the impact of your decisions — financially, ecologically and socially — through the filter of your values and your vision, you can find a balance and a focus in your business and life.

Holistic Management helps farmers understand how nature functions, and which management tool or combination of tools will help them work with the complexity of nature and enable it to thrive. HM is a management process that evolves with your business over time. The 'how to' manage holistically comes from the Holistic Context, decision-making tool and annual profit plan. Specifically for farmers, the 'how to' is found in the land planning and grazing and/or cropping planning. Monitoring and review is built into the planning and decision-making as a critical step.

Allan Savory pioneered Holistic Management in the 1970s, which is now being applied around the world. He founded the Savory Institute as a way of increasing worldwide understanding of the principles of Holistic Management, and raising public awareness of the impacts of loss of grasslands and increase in desertification. In Australia, we currently have 35 accredited Holistic Management educators who have trained thousands of farmers since 1994. See the extensive Soils for Life case studies for farmers' own accounts of their land improvements.



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What is the Australian Holistic Management Co-Operative?

The Co-op promotes Holistic Management to enable thriving lives and landscapes. In 2017, Farming Together awarded a grant to establish the Co-operative, which was formally registered by ASIC as NSWC32856 in September 2018. See the Rules of the Co-op here.

• Why join the Australian Holistic Management Co-Op?

  Co-op members receive benefits & discounts on all our services. As a member, your EOV monitoring becomes 10-15% cheaper and you receive free and discounted access to support with mentors, regional webinars, workshops and field days.

• What does the Co-op do?

  We help your land and life to thrive by offering you ecological monitoring, EOV (Ecological Outcome Verification) plus Holistic Management support and mentoring via webinars, workshops and field days. Join our community of like-minded people all trying to improve their land, businesses and lives. In addition, once you obtain EOV cerrtification you can label your products with the Land to Market (L2M) seal and promote your product as coming from land that is regenerating. We also help facilitate Land to Market relationships in the supply chain in Australia.

• How is the Co-op connected to the Savory Institute?

  The Co-op is one of the Hubs in the Savory Institute's global network, whose mission is the large-scale regeneration of the world's degraded grasslands through Holistic Management. As a Hub we provide Ecological Outcome Verification services and offer Holistic Management support & mentoring. The Co-op regularly liaises with the Savory Institute about projects, EOV quality assurance, third party verification and Land to Market.



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What is Ecological Outcome Verification?

• The scientific procedure behind EOV

  EOV starts with a Baseline Year to install both short and long-term monitoring sites. Annual monitoring of the short term sites follows in Years 1 to 4, measuring above-ground indicators like bare ground and biodiversity. In Year 5, monitors measure plant diversity metrics, water infiltration, and soil data. Soil samples are sent to the lab for measurements such as soil carbon and water-holding capacity — see more on EOV measurements. EOV was designed for farmers, is adaptable across eco-regions, and provides actionable insights to improve land management and your Ecological Health Index.

• How much does EOV cost?

  As each land base is unique, these fees are a guide only and may be subject to change. The Baseline Year and the Year 5 Revisit, with both long-term & Short-term monitoring: fees range between $2400-$4000 (This includes a 10% discount for members). Over Years 1-4, the annual short-term monitoring fee is $1500-$1800 per year (inc 15% discount for members).

• How do I register for EOV monitoring?

  Please see our EOV page for the link to the registration form. We will contact you about organising EOV monitoring on your property. Anyone can apply for EOV, but the fees are 10-15% cheaper for Co-op members and also include support, mentors, regional webinars, workshops and field days.

• What’s next after I register for EOV monitoring?

  • You will be contacted to provide further property information so we can set up your landbase in our system and let you know the ideal monitoring time. The monitoring season starts in southern Australia in September and finishes in northern Australia at the end of April.
  • One of our accredited monitors will be in touch to arrange your monitoring event, as you will need to be available at the time. The monitor will set up the long-term and short-term monitoring sites, measure the indicators and collect soil samples for lab testing.
  • After the Monitoring event you will receive a link to your online data and a booking link to discuss your data with a Verifier. Your data will be sent to be verified by the EOV QA team at the Savory Institute. You will receive a Status statement indicating if your land is 'Regenerating' or not, with a PDF report for printing or sharing.
  • To obtain 'Regenerating' status your land needs to maintain or improve its Ecological Health Index. (Regional seasonal conditions and exceptional circumstances are also considered.) With 'Regenerating' status you can then apply for Land to Market branding.



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What is Land to Market?

• Land to Market branding

  If EOV data indicates land is regenerating, then products derived from that landbase may apply to carry the Savory Land to Market seal. Land to Market (L2M) offers branding for your value-added products to be sold directly to customers and/or into supply chains.

• What is Land to Market trying to achieve?

  Land to Market works with brands around the world to connect them with raw materials that come from verified regenerating landbases. By creating market demand and product differentiation, Land to Market eases the transition for producers looking to make the leap into regenerative agriculture. The Land to Market Verified seal gives consumers confidence that products have come from land with ecologically verified improving health which is backed by scientific data.

• What is the difference between EOV and Land to Market?

  EOV monitoring is the annual process of measuring short and long-term indicators of the ecological health of farmland. If health is measured to be improving, EOV verification is granted (or renewed). With EOV verification, the landbase then becomes eligible to apply for Land to Market branding.
  



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