We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
~ T.S. Eliot
Deep Winter 2025 will be hosted by Jonai Farms & Meatsmiths and Tumpinyeri Growers, 7-9 June, on Djaara Country, where it was first held in 2015.
The event deepens its roots this year with a simple, democratic unconference. The concept behind Deep Winter is to bring small and medium scale farmers and allies together to participate in a joyful event where we collectively discuss our challenges and successes, and share knowledge, experiences, and strategy to deepen our thinking and strengthen our movement for agroecology and food sovereignty.
Draft Schedule
Saturday 7 June 2025: At 9am, the Jonai and local community will slaughter a pig in the annual tradition of la matanza for Sunday night’s potluck feast. Anyone already in the region that morning is welcome to join us as we prepare the pig for the pizza oven the next day. A team of volunteers will be getting signage up for parking and chairs ready in the Belvedere and other sheds for breakout groups, setting up braziers for fires, and generally working together to spread the load - anyone is welcome to help. We expect the majority of people to be arriving throughout the afternoon to catch up with friends old and new, and to enjoy a steaming bowl of ramen at 6:30pm, made from parts of the pig, greens from Tumpinyeri Growers and Jonai gardens, and noodles from the wonderful humans of Naked Asian Grocers. Contributions of nibbles welcome and BYO drinks.
Sunday 8 June 2025: At 9am, the unconference begins. First, Tammi will give a brief recap of 11 years of Deep Winter discussions and debates so that we can understand our history, and build on these foundations for the next decade and beyond. The history will contextualise the rise of agroecology and small-scale farming and food production in Australia over the past two decades, and our successes and failures in dealing with the perennial problem of the state.
Next, all present collectively set the agenda and decide how many sessions and breakout groups there will be, with coordination from a team of AFSA committee members. Lunch will be potluck, with a big bowl of pumpkin soup provided by Tumpinyeri Growers and Jonai, with sublime bread from Alison of local Two Fold Bakehouse.
Dinner is a potluck feast with a Jonai roast pig and the rest provided by all of you, BYO drinks. Expect music and merriment until we tire.
Monday 9 June 2025: We will reconvene at 9:30am to discuss the content for the draft Declaration - a collective statement of our determination to radically transform the food system from the ground up, and details from the weekend of how we are doing that and the work ahead. See the 2019 and 2023 declarations on the AFSA website. We will discuss plans for the next Deep Winter, and its relation to the annual Food Sovereignty Convergence. We recommend reading this recent short piece from Tammi about the relationship between agroecology and food sovereignty.
We should wrap up before midday, leaving plenty of time for other farm visits in the region and travel home that afternoon.
Accommodation, travel and meals
Deep Winter attendees are invited to camp on-site at the farm in a tent, van or caravan. As it will be early winter, please make sure you bring enough warm clothing and bedding to be comfortable! Drop Tammi an email (jonai @ jonaifarms.com.au) to let the Jonai know if you plan to camp so we have an idea how many to accommodate. So that Jonai Farms can plan for campers, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM AND LET US KNOW IF YOU INTEND ON CAMPING IN A TENT OR VEHICLE.
There are also a number of external accommodation options in nearby Daylesford for those looking to stay off-site. We recommend booking through Dayget to find a local option that best suits your needs (and saves you from booking through Airbnb!), or check out the Central Springs Inn or Daylesford Central Motel for other affordable options.
We have limited parking spaces available on the farm. Therefore, we strongly encourage carpooling to and from accommodation off-site. IF YOU CAN OFFER CARPOOLING OR ARE SEEKING CARPOOLING TO AND FROM THE EVENT, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM.
Deep Winter relies mostly on potluck meals, so please come prepared with contributions for lunch, dinner and breaks! Breakfast is independent of these communal meals, and all those staying on-site will have access to the Belvedere kitchen to prepare their own meal. If you have specific dietary requirements, please ensure your contributions cover this so that you have enough to eat.
We have a lot of chairs, crockery and cutlery, but not enough for 175 people, so if you can bring your own, please do! We will be serving pork ramen and pumpkin soup, so please make sure to bring bowls!
2015-2025: A very short recap
Back in 2015, we worried about regulations & corporations that made it difficult for livestock farmers to build or access processing facilities. Now there are on-farm butcher’s shops and even abattoirs across the country, and state governments are supporting us!
Market gardeners had it easy on the regulation front in 2015, but worried about the risks & realities of burn out in what can be back-breaking toil. But FSANZ made the veg farmers fellow victims of scale-inappropriate regs with the ‘licence to sell lettuce’. But because we are collectivised, we won exemptions for the little guys.
Allies shared initiatives to help connect growers & eaters, and we debated whether an aggregated box scheme can be called a CSA (no, said CSA farmers, though there are many wonderful box schemes). Our allies have grown in number and deepened in solidarity every year.
If you aren’t already a member of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, join now to help our powerful movement collectivise, organise and act!
