Regenerative Agriculture - Southern Cross University

Discover new ways to care for our land

As agriculture faces increasingly serious challenges in areas such as soil degradation, water, land management and crop sustainability, we need to rethink our approach to farming.

Our Regenerative Agriculture program draws on Southern Cross University’s expertise in plant science, agronomy, ecology, agroforestry, environmental chemistry and socio-ecological systems. It also works in collaboration with industry groups and the farming community.

Courses are designed for students who want to be a part of a new way of farming that better supports, and is supported by, natural processes. In this way, we can build more resilient farms and farmers for the future.

Our students examine human ecology, agroecology, regenerative agricultural practices, strategies and soil management. They also develop the capacity to produce regenerative strategies for farms and landscapes.

Courses were created in consultation with the Farming Together Industry Advisory Group, comprising leading regenerative agriculture practitioners.

Regenerative Agriculture may be studied either as a Diploma, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or as a specialisation in the Bachelor of Science. You can also design your degree by studying Regenerative Agriculture as a major in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business and Enterprise, Bachelor of Indigenous Knowledge or the Bachelor of Psychological Science.

Dayna Scalpin, SCU graduare holds a drone outside in front of a tent

“My end goal is to assist farmers in a better future of farming and an understanding of their crops alongside my drone data and interpretation.”

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Why choose Regenerative Agriculture with Southern Cross?

World first Bachelor degree

This degree is a world first and was championed by the Regenerative Agricultural Alliance and members of its Industry Advisory Group.

Globally ranked among the best

Southern Cross is ranked in the top 350 universities in the world in Agriculture and Forestry (QS World University Rankings 2022).

5-star ratings

#1 in Australia for skills development in Agriculture and Environmental Studies (GUG 2024)

Dynamic learning experience

Students come together to build a portfolio of knowledge and skills through on-farm practical sessions and field-based residentials.

To me, it's about trying to make sure that Australia, and the wider world, is able to produce food for my grandchildren's generation without destroying the planet, and I'm really excited to be a part of that.
Hello, my name's Greg Colton, and I'm studying for a Bachelor of Science specialising in Regenerative Agriculture at Southern Cross University.

What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture isn't actually defined, which makes it so exciting, but in essence, it's working in harmony with ecosystems for the profitable production of food or fiber. So, it's a holistic way of farming in harmony with nature rather than against it. Being an online student, Residentials are one of the real highlights is coming to the university for residentials. We have two or three residentials a year that we've come to, and that includes a lot of time farm visits, and we've visited a whole range of farms across southern Queensland and northern New South Wales from strawberry farms to cotton farms, beef enterprises, uh, horticulture. And that gives us a real opportunity to speak to real farmers who are actually putting into practice what we're learning.

In my second year, I was really lucky and fortunate to be awarded the VRM Biologik

Scholarship Future Leaders Scholarship. And that allowed me to keep studying. As a student, receiving a scholarship from a company like VRM Biologik, and receiving the mentoring from them as well, not only has helped me through, um, the last couple of years at university, but it's really given me an injection to go forward into the workforce afterwards.

My wife and I have a small 100-acre farm in the Snowy Monaro region, and it's been great putting into practice some of the things that we’ve learned on the course. We have over 200 fruit trees, mainly cider apple varieties to create a cider brand. But also, we rotationally graze paddocks for the horses that my wife uses in her equine assisted learning business.

And being able to put that into practice on the farm and see the changes just in the last three years of the ecosystem, uh, we've put in over 200 natives to connect up wildlife corridors, and I know now that that's not only good for the environment, but actually, that has benefits for our farming practices as well.

I'm not quite sure what the future, holds after the end of this degree, but what I do know is that I'm really excited about taking what I've known forward, not only into my own farm, but into my local community.