WA’s future farm

The University of Western Australia is using its Ridgefield Future Farm to encourage agricultural best practice, educating students along the way.

Story + Photos Jill Griffiths  

In the heart of the Western Australian Wheatbelt is an unusual farm. In many ways it’s just like all those around it, but in other ways it’s part of a revolution. 

Ridgefield is The University of Western Australia’s (UWA) 1600ha Future Farm. It’s a bold experiment in agriculture and agricultural education, but is also an ordinary operating farm.

It’s the brainchild of Professor Graeme Martin, a silver-haired academic with the heart of a country boy. “UWA is a world leader in agriculture,” Graeme explains. “We’re consistently ranked in the top 20 universities in the world for agricultural research. We’re serious players. And if you’re going to have credibility in that space, then you need to be in agriculture – you need to be in farming.”