GROUNDED Live - 2025: Professor Lyn Abbott - What’s New & Vital in Soil Health?

Welcome to the very first episode of GROUNDED Live, hosted by farmer, author and festival co-founder Matthew Evans. This series shares the unedited presentations from GROUNDED Festival 2025, recorded live from Galloway Springs in Bridgetown, Western Australia.

In this first episode, we hear from Professor Lyn Abbott, Emeritus Professor at the University of Western Australia and one of the country’s most respected soil biologists. With more than 50 years of research behind her, Lyn has dedicated her career to understanding the living world beneath our feet — the microbes, fungi, roots and relationships that drive soil health. 

Her talk unpacks the latest insights in soil science: how soils function as dynamic ecosystems, why biology matters for productivity and resilience, and what decades of research can teach us about managing land for long-term ecological health. 

If you’re passionate about farming, gardening, food systems or simply curious about the hidden life in soil, this is a grounding, fascinating and generous talk from one of the field’s great educators. 

Settle in — and welcome to GROUNDED. 

GROUNDED Festival is a cross between a food festival, a farming conference and a field day. It combines science and technology with ancient wisdom, provides a respectful place for lively discussion, an audience as interesting as the speakers and an excellent menu of local food, drinks and music, all on a beautiful, regeneratively-managed farm.

GROUNDED is also Australia's only annual, roaming food and farming festival, held in a different farm location every year, so each festival is a unique, unmissable event celebrating local expertise and culture with an inspiring line up of speakers.

In 2026, with the support of the local Upper Barwon and Central Otway Landcare Networks, following successful festivals in Tasmania and Western Australia, GROUNDED FESTIVAL will be held at leading regenerative farm, Yan Yan Gurt West, in the Victorian Otway Ranges, two hours from Melbourne in an area renowned for regenerative agroforestry, tourism, local hospitality and great food and wine.

Tickets are on sale now - head to the GROUNDED website for information on speakers, the location, and to secure your spot today.