The big idea to crowd fund and send Young Farming Champions Josh Gilbert and Anika Molesworth to Paris COP21 was inspired by a two day workshop in the Blue Mountains in August 2015 that bought together likeminded farmers many of whom told their stories for the Planet to Plate Cookbook
We made the decision to provide this too good to miss opportunity to fast forward the personal and professional development of two young people from the agriculture sector for multiple reasons
We had plenty of young talent to choose from but ultimately it came down to the fact that Josh and Anika attended the Blue Mountains workshop and shared both the ethos of the people who were working behind the scenes and those in the wider community who would be interested in contributing to a crowd funding campaign
Josh and Anika on SBS – Source
And fast forwarded they were. The interest in their trip, why they were going and what they learnt was phenomenal – from mainstream TV, Radio, print and online media, government, the research, development, extension and outreach and corporate sectors and the wider community alike
As we put the final touches on the official report on Josh and Anika’s trip to ParisCOP21 I can’t help but wonder what history will say about their experience. Whilst young people in agriculture don’t have a monopoly on vision, passion and commitment they do have more time to ‘change the world’. Will this be the watershed moment that defined the future for agriculture in this country?
On behalf of the network of Australian farmers and their supporters who care about the impact of climate change on agriculture and welcome other farmers to join them as they communicate, learn together, support each other and build this network, to help Australia be part of the climate change solution I salute Josh and Anika
We threw you in the deep end and you rose to the challenge beyond our wildest dreams. I look forward to Australian agriculture, farmers everywhere and the community walking side by side with you as we forge a bright future for agriculture and the world at large,
