Kieran Christopherson

I’m Kieran. I’m a Master of Urban Horticulture student from the University of Melbourne Burnley campus.

I work as a Kitchen Gardener for a restaurant in Trentham, Victoria called Du Fermier. Since joining the team on the farm almost a year ago, I’ve used my knowledge of horticultural science to champion more regenerative agricultural practices in our food growing approach. I constantly employ skills that I developed within my UniMelbSciComm experience to effectively communicate how minimal tillage of the soil, and practices such as heavy mulching and the exclusion of artificial chemicals can increase soil water capabilities, develop nourishing biological relationships, and improve plant health and harvest yields. These insights have been shared with our farm team, and we jump at any opportunity to discuss our practice changes with the many visitors that come to Babbington Park Farm.

I’m also developing a long-term science communication project of my own. Echo Floria is a partnership between my wife Katie and I. We are developing a half-acre farm in Lancefield, Victoria, and we are sharing the process on Instagram at @echo.floria. In the near future, we will be offering educational programs in small scale farming, to enable more people to engage more deeply in agriculture. By synthesising and sharing the science of organic vegetable growing, we hope to enable others to fast-track their learning process and discover meaningful alternatives to the often destructive impacts of the global industrialised food system.