How disaster prompted this Australian sheep farmer to switch to sustainable practices

Looking like a cross between a porcupine and an anteater, an echidna trudges across an island of green in a sea of red, dusty soil. Weighing less than a bag of potatoes, this strange mammal is one of Australia's tiniest farmers. 

On the hunt for ants and termites, the echidna rummages around in the dirt, leaving behind small pits where decaying vegetation, seeds and moisture can collect. These small pockets will support six times more plant life than the untouched soil, making the animal a vital part of maintaining a healthy and diverse ecosystem.

For Australian sheep farmer Charles Massy, the sight of echidnas tilling the soil on his lush pastures is a wonder to behold. But they're just one part of what sustains the resilient grassland.

Disaster prompted a switch to sustainable farming

Massy is a fifth-generation sheep farmer, and his daughter and grandson are farmers on the same land. 

In this clip from "Open Spaces" — the second episode of Shared Planet, a series from The Nature of Things — Massy explains how switching to sustainable farming methods enabled him to bring life back to his pastures after disaster struck.

In the early 1980s, a massive drought known as the "Great Dry" swept through eastern Australia. Massy's traditional farming practices had allowed his sheep to intensely graze the landscape, stripping the ground of plant life, and this combined with the drought led to a food shortage that required him to buy industrial grain to feed his flock. 

Although his sheep survived, Massy was financially devastated and had to sell a portion of his family's land to recover. Wanting to avoid another catastrophe, the farmer decided to change how he used the land to feed his sheep.

He took inspiration from wild herbivores on the African savannah, moving his flocks between pastures every few days to prevent overgrazing. 

"It doesn't matter where the grassland is," says Massy. "If you graze the landscape properly, you're getting regeneration."

Over a 30-year period of trial and error, Massy was able to transform his land in a way he never thought possible. What was once bare ground was now covered in vegetation — a natural grassland resistant to drought.  

And when severe drought hit again between 2017 and 2020, Massy's farmland survived the devastating conditions. 

Since changing his farming practices, Massy's farm has become an oasis for wildlife, including 140 species of birds and a thriving population of echidnas. He's even spotted many animals he's never seen on his land before.

"If you can work with nature instead of against her, I think it adds so much more meaning to life," Massy says.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Watch Shared Planet: Open Spaces on CBC Television, CBC Gem and on The Nature of Things YouTube channel