The news site of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland: nourishing and connecting our faith community

Farmer-managed natural regeneration

Thursday December 19

From green trees to silver screens: how Tony Rinaudo’s incredible story made it to the movies with the help of an Academy Award-winning director

With the recent release of his documentary The Forest Maker, acclaimed Anglican agronomist Tony Rinaudo spoke with anglican focus about the making of the film, his experience changing lives in Africa through farmer-managed natural regeneration and his message about how we can contribute to a better planet as National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day approach

The Forest Maker

“The Forest Maker is a superb documentary well worth watching — a film about the positive legacy of faith and justice that draws the viewer into the struggle to enable local Africans to reclaim the land that is a part of their spiritual identity,” says Jonathan Sargeant from St Francis College

Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo, speaker at the seminar "Caring for the Earth, Transforming Lives: Linking Faith & Natural Regeneration” at the Ecumenical centre in Geneva on 12 May, received the 2018 Right Livelihood Award for developing a technique that helps regrow trees in places where forests had been chopped down (Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC)

Environmental care driven by faith is core to Tony Rinaudo for Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

At a young age, Tony Rinaudo got angry at some of the environmental destruction while growing up in an agricultural region of the Owens Valley in Australia’s Victoria state and, driven by his faith, did something

The Forest Underground

“Tony Rinaudo’s literally groundbreaking method of reforesting millions of hectares of land without planting a single tree was later named Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration,” says Chair of Angligreen, The Rev’d Peter Moore

The Forest Maker’s hope for the future

“Even as a young boy, I felt sad at the sight of bare hills – at what had been lost. Without audible words, the land spoke to me. In its exposed brokenness, the land itself seemed to be grieving and crying out for help and restoration. As we drove, in my mind’s eye I was on those hills in my gumboots, shovel in hand, planting trees,” says Australian Anglican and agronomist Tony Rinaudo AM