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Invest or Perish – Filling the huge gap in agriculture talent development

As mentioned in a previous blog I find the world of agri-politics an extraordinarily frustrating culture and the model not conducive to action orientated outcomes. There is a constant cry from the farmer ranks that our best and brightest farmers are too busy to get involved  with agri-poltics  yet we fail to appreciate the people who do put their hands up

I am lucky enough to work with many of our best and brightest future influencers who recognise that some farmers do have to find time and they are prepared to give it a go

I have made it my mission to ensure the experience is rewarding. Sadly what I have found is we are not incubating our future influencers. Great initiatives like ARLP and Rising Beef Champions program are exposing our future leaders to the process but no-one is taking the next step and taking them on the journey of knowledge and skills sets to do it well. Excitingly this opens up a great opportunity to fix the problem

Agriculture operates on the premise that leaders are born. We should be taking the lead from the corporate world where leaders are nurtured, they are incubated and they are exposed to a world view.

I recently put out a call to some of my contacts in government and asked the question who besides Cotton Australia lobbies well and the answer was no-one .

Our RDC’s are NOT allowed to lobby and our farmer groups dont have any money. Lobbying is a skill and successful businesses and NGO’s who lobby well hire professional lobbyists to either advise them or lobby on their behalf

WWF for example works with Statecraft Their managing director is Michael Priebe who just happens to be a former deputy PM’s son in law.

Besides having no money and not incubating our potential future influencers where else are we going wrong?

In my conversation the Nuffield Scholar Katy Lee kept cropping up. Check out her blog on the solutions here

According to Katy the  five key points of the Talent Development in Agriculture Call to action are:
1. Create an enabling environment and incentives for private sector engagement in talent development to improve linkages between supply and demand of knowledge and skills;
2. Promote demand-driven and innovative agriculture education, training, and skills development programmes geared towards transformation and maintaining high performance culture at all levels;
3. Recruit and retain youth and women in agriculture through incentives and the promotion of conducive environments for equitable access to secure land tenure, inputs, financial services, knowledge, and markets;
4. Develop national agricultural plans and resource mobilisation strategies to enhance talent development in agriculture, food, and natural resources while including women and youth in the process;
5. Develop monitoring, learning, evaluation, and knowledge management systems for talent development
These measures will help to set agriculture on the path to a brighter future, for the sector and for the entire globe.

Agriculture has to find the money and the will to do this. We cant afford not too.

I have found the corporate sector very excited by the young talent coming through the agriculture sector rank and keen to open the doors and invest. Even better they are prepared to take that pivotal step and become part of the team

Josh Gilbert and Anika Molesworth are great examples of that. Young people who are  looking at innovative vehicles like crowd funding  to ParisCOP21 to further their personal and professional development

I know they will be eternally grateful as will agriculture that people and businesses believed enough in them to fund their journey

Having communicated with them regularly whilst they have been in Paris I know the experience has been a watershed moment for them

They now have the determination, the committment, the networks and the mentors who can support their vision for an agriculture driven transition to renewable energy, secure job creation, clean air and a healthy and safe environment for everyone on the planet

They see this as the key to achieving a profitable and resilient agricultural sector that invests in and values its leaders

To see the impact COP21 is having on Josh and Anika please read their latest blogs from Paris

Anika’s reflections on the role agriculture can play here

Josh’s reflections on ParisCOP21 on him personally here

Update 12th December 2015

Looking forward to seeing what this new initiative delivers for capacity building

Sprout: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull launches new innovation hub to back ‘digital agriculture’ entrepreneurs 

 

 

 

Congratulations Josh Gilbert – a courageous young man

 

This week Young Farming Champion Josh Gilbert was named in Impact 25 alongisde Malcolm Turnbull, Julia Gillard and Rosie Batty

This is only one of many accolades Josh has racked up this year as you can see from his bio below.

Josh Gilbert is one of those rarest of individuals – an unstoppable powerhouse and a force of nature.
In the past three years he has been named in the National Top 50 Young Social Entrepreneurs, is recognised as one of Australia’s Top Six Young Social Entrepreneurs in the “Climate Change, Food Security and Sustainable Energy” field, is a National Earth Hour Ambassador and Chair of NSWFA Young Farmers Council.
“I wake up every day committed to changing the narrative in Australian agri-politics, securing justice for Indigenous Australians, building resilient rural and regional communities and supporting and encouraging Australia’s farmers to embrace the challenges of climate change and move forward.”

The world of agriculture can be a harsh place to put your hand up to drive change. There is a small number of very vocal people who don’t take kindly to people in agriculture who have a vision for agriculture to be seen as exciting and dynamic and full of promise and too often agriculture’s champions feel hounded and alone.

Josh on the other hand  belongs to the generation of future influencers who are very vocally  and proudly supported by their peers. I see Josh’s selection to the Impact 25 as a wonderful indicator  that the change that agriculture needs to happen is happening.

Why you ask.  The Impact 25 is elected by your peers. Once you are nominated to be one of 100 people to be up for selection for the Impact 25 the final 25 are selected by people’s choice

I wrote a blog post encouraging the agriculture sector to vote for Josh. That post had 275 Facebook shares. The Impact 25 voting process attracted 13,000 votes and agriculture’s  Josh Gilbert made the list because his peers and many other people in agriculture who admire him and what he stands for took the time and voted for him.

Josh’s peers see him for what he is – a selfless, courageous young man who  believes in a bright future for agriculture and is doing what ever it takes to start a movement and bring his peers with him on the journey to make it happen. Whatever it takes included Crowd Funding his way to Paris and COP21

How lucky is agriculture that Josh chose us

Image credit source 

Time to stop blaming farmers for Climate Change

I don’t like the blame game because nobody wins

And the big losers from the climate change finger pointing has been our farmers.

Farmers in the main have reacted by just not talking about it like its our dirty little secret – we cant even say the words “Climate Change” instead we only talk ‘Climate Variability’ 

Well its not a dirty little secret, food production has an environmental footprint but so does my penchant for the five star lifestyle and Australia’s desire to all live on the 1/4 a re block and everything else we do

I could live without a five star lifestyle and a house on a 1/4 acre block but I cant live without food.

So its time to stop blaming farmers and livestock for climate change and start celebrating the huge leaps and bounds they have taken to reduce their  carbon footprint 

Here’s a great start we are working with the scientists.

We are working with our industry bodies

We are working with each other and we are even working with NGO’s like WFF

The people we are not working with effectively is government and the community and this is what we have to do better

Lets take a look at how farmers and scientists are working together.

A great example is the exciting work being done by the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre 

Take a look at this trial on Cow Poo Effluent which is pretty interesting to me as the Clover Hill farm is high rainfall area with effluent control taking up far to much time everyday. See lots of other great examples below

Climate Change adaptation and mitigation strategies are the same for everyone ( farmers and the community alike) and they make sense because efficiency gains and productivity gains are not just good for the planet they are good for the hip pocket

As I said earlier the people we don’t partner with well are government and the community. The community is easy.  I have found that the community in the main loves farmers we just need to learn to share our story better

The government on the other hand needs a whole new culture change. When we ( farmers) talk to government we are very good at telling them what isn’t good for farmers and what we don’t want

What we struggle with is bringing the solutions to the table and telling our politicians what we do want

Excitingly on the weekend Richard McLellan who is the chief executive of the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council had this brilliant article printed in the Huffington Post A Sustainable Food Future Requires A Radical Rethink

Here is an awesome list of what is good for farmers, animals and the planet.

What a great inspiration for our leaders to take to Canberra don’t you think

This must start with ambitious policy and economic incentives.

Let’s provide the policy arena to drive a “clean and green” future.

Let’s seriously invest in innovation, and in integrated research and development, policy and practice that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the agricultural sector. Let’s radically rethink our energy system — not only in terms of production but also in delivery and consumption.

Let’s start paying farmers for investing in and protecting biodiversity, for foregoing land clearing, for providing ecosystem services, for sequestering carbon, for changing land uses and food production systems to what will be truly sustainable.

Let’s stop simply reacting to drought, and instead incentivise real, long-term, climate-smart systems that can cope with our challenging environments and climates.

Let’s provide sufficient government-supported funds and schemes — such as a climate-smart, “future fund”, paid for by a carbon tax or the diversion of current fossil fuel subsidies to help facilitate this outcome.

Let’s invest in producers, supply chains and markets that are prepared to demand and trade in truly sustainable agricultural produce.

Ultimately, let’s provide the policies and economic drivers that will ensure the Australian countryside is still filled with profitable, productive and sustainable farmers in a century’s time.

We need farmers in the bush. They are potentially our “best-bet” resident bush conservation rangers and land stewards, and best-placed to manage our country’s natural assets while providing essential ecosystem services that benefit everyone.

And I say lets stop blaming the farmers and partner with them for a brighter future because we just cant live without food

You can check out more of the great work been achieved through scientist and farmers working together at the  Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre at the links below

 

Image source 

 

Make It Real- A Case for Action

Young Farming Champion’s Josh Gilbert  and Anika Molesworth are blogging from ParisCOP21 and they are ‘learning by doing’  These are Josh’s reflections from  Day 3…………

Josh and Anika say thank you for your support

Paris Day 3 of the COY11 conference has reinforced a number of things for Anika and me

Front and centre our agricultural sector has what it takes to be highly competitive but despite huge potential and the rapidly growing demand for our products, agriculture overall has been losing market share to international competitors. It’s widely acknowledged within agriculture that it is being held back by a lack of strong leadership.

Young people in agriculture like Anika and I  know that if Australian agriculture is to reach its true potential then it’s going to need a generation of passionate and energetic future influencers with a different set of skills beyond agricultural expertise, who can recognise new business opportunities and make them happen.

Read the full post here  Make It Real- A Case for Action

With a lot riding on the next rainfall event for many Farmers in Australia, James Walker and the Agrihive team have put together this excellent rainfall forecast presentation from Bruce Gunn
                                        “It’s got to be said that we have never had the big El Nino year like we’ve got now…….. go back to back” Bruce Gunn

There is key information that will surprise you like the performance on what the El Nino is presenting at the moment and the breaking down of the El Nino in global models.

Ag in the classroom can do so much more than share the paddock to plate story

It was so rewarding for me to be invited to attend the official launch of the Matraville Sports High School training ground initiative for student teachers that exposes them to ‘real issues’  which sees the school partner with the University of NSW in a world first

Now Matraville has more teachers to give the students the attention they need, and the UNSW is giving its student teachers much more classroom experience than they would normally receive.

Up to 60 student teachers will now be on the Matraville campus at any one time.

“For too long teacher education has been stuck in an ivory tower with occasional excursions out into the real world .This is the first time that a secondary campus has been established for a university teacher education facility in Australia.

“The kids can get their hands dirty — student teachers need to see what it’s like to actually deal with an extended school community. It is exposure to real schools, with real issues far beyond standard teacher education”. Professor Chris Davison head of the School of Education at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

You can only imagine how thrilled and honoured I was to see the showcase video that shows how The Archibull Prize is viewed as an integral part of this groundbreaking initiative that includes drama and gifted education programs, particularly focusing on the arts and science, as well as literacy and numeracy initiatives for those students needing additional support.

Watch the showcase video here 

Since its inception The Archibull Prize has been funded by industry and supporters of Ag in the Classroom. This means our annual reports have always focused on the benefits to agriculture. Yet when the art judge Wendy Taylor and I visit all the schools we know the benefits of The Archibull Prize experience to the schools, the students and their wider communities are so much more than this and sadly we have yet had the opportunity to tell the whole story

Thank you so much Matraville Sports High School and UNSW for sharing the holistic importance of the Young Farming Champions and The Archibull Prize programs. Kudos to you

 

Living to learn and grow and aspire to great things

I live to learn and grow and aspire to great things. Corny as it might sound I genuinely want the world to be a better place because of the things I did in my lifetime

Today is the day Your mountain is waiting

I have made lots of mistakes, pissed off plenty of people and I am one of those people that you either like or you don’t.

I no longer worry about these things. Mistakes make you the person you are today and who needs fake friends

For the last ten years I have been surrounded by some very exciting people who have helped shaped my journey

But I knew if I was going to achieve what I want to achieve I was going to need a mentor who was in it for the long haul

I got my first taste of what that could be like when I spent 3 days with Shaun Coffey in Brisbane in 2013. It was such a buzz. But Shaun spends more time overseas than he does here and we realised that wasn’t going to work

I am excited two years later that a new opportunity has arisen and I now have regular access to the very bright mind and the brave person who is willing to take me on

At our first meeting he reiterated how pivotal it was for me prioritise what space I want to play in. This can be especially challenging for women because we often experience a high degree of inner stress over conflicting commitments.  We have been conditioned to spend our energy helping other people achieve their goals.

So my first task is to have a vision that is built on my values, not the agenda of others.  I look forward to being inspired by my personal convictions, to learning new skills that become habits, to staying calm and remaining strong. I look forward to my new life and I look forward to sharing my journey with you

 

What will the farmer of the future look like?

What will the farmer of the future look like?

Farmers of the Future.jpg

Farmers of the future will say I am proud to be both an environmentalist and a farmer 

I must admit I always struggled with the image of the profession ‘farmer’.

I was always proud to be a pharmacist – people appreciate pharmacists, they value them

In the 21st century whilst people want to appreciate and value farmers, we are finding that more and more people are questioning whether our modern farming practices align with their values.

I always felt and still do like I was potentially walking into a war zone when I talked about farming in a public forum. I always felt agricultural practices were under the microscope and in some cases quite rightly so.

So my wish for farmers of the future is to be viewed as an integral part of a farming community that is perceived as, and is delivering safe, affordable, healthy food and quality fibre AND leaving a positive footprint on the planet.

My wish is that farmers of the future will feel proud to say that I am both a farmer and an environmentalist. Many, many now do already

To help facilitate this transition I am part of a team who has worked behind the scenes and sent Young Farming Champions Josh Gilbert and Anika Molesworth to Paris.

I say fervently that Josh and Anika are the image that future farmers will all aspire to. They are the gutsy young people learning the corporate mindset during the week and spending every spare minute they have working side by side with their parents on the farm

They have gone to Paris on a fact-finding mission with the aim to back what they found to share with young farmers like themselves and anyone else who cares to listen.

What is so exciting here is that they care enough, and others care enough to support them, to go and learn whatever COP21 had to offer?

The support from government and the community was phenomenal

Prior to their trip Josh and Anika had an audience with both the NSW Minister for the Environment and the Minister for Primary Industries who reiterated the important role agriculture plays in NSW

Minister Blair also recently met with Josh and Anika and 15 of their peers.

2015 Archibull Prize Awards (110)

Minister Blair feels strongly that investment in the new generation of agricultural leaders can do so much more than securing the production of food. It can provide jobs, grow wealth and create vibrant and resilient rural and regional communities. And the perfect way to create world class leaders is to create the right environment and give them the skills to thrive. And what a great opportunity Paris is to help them develop those skills and knowledge.

And excitingly bring that knowledge back and help Australian farmers drive the transition to clean energy technologies. Farming communities have a great opportunity to champion renewable energy

As Anika says “We are blessed with open skies and vast horizons, we have boundless solar and wind resources. Importantly farm supplied green energy has the potential to provide Australian farmers with a new and steady income stream. This will help reduce the physical, emotional and financial stress on our farmers and help ensure we have resilient and prosperous rural and remote communities.”

There is no denying that a positive future for agriculture will require change.  The journey will see them find themselves in a difficult space. They will be challenged by the conservatives. Some will feel threatened and try to bring them down. They are brave, they have a strong support network and that network will grow.

They want the best outcomes for both farmers and the planet. To achieve this they are out talking to everyone. They are finding many other groups share their values.

They are very excited we now have a Prime Minister who also shares their values and wants to leave the same legacy they aspire too.

They are off to Paris to learn. To seek out the solutions that they can bring to the table. They see themselves as part of the rational group in the middle who know it’s smart to talk to both sides and that WIN:WINS are possible. By this I mean the group that sits between farmers embedded in the old ways and extreme green groups. The rational group who view partnerships as the key to success

They and many farmers like them are committed to Australians having the bright future that we all deserve. I look forward to blogging their journey and sharing it with you .

You can find their blog here 

You can read Gabrielle Chan’s story on their crowd funding campaign which say 65 Australians fund their trip to Paris and COP21 here 

 

The Oscars of Art

Its that time of year when I write a blog post that I know is going to get over 1000 visits a day for the next 6 days. That every time I open my email account it is going to say downloading 1 of 250 emails. Just to keep up with approving the comments I need a glass of milk every hour.

Want to know what causes this frenzy. Well the judge has made her decision, the trophies have been painted ( or are nearly finished after all they are a masterpiece in themselves), the giant cheques are at the printers, Lynne and Jenny from the RAS are in overdrive tizzying up the venue, the sponsors are chomping at the bit hoping they have the WOW Archie, the students have booked into the dentist for a last minute whitening, the teachers and their designers have selected that WOW outfit , the GREEN carpet has been laid and the VIP”s are coming.

And why all the interest the week before the event. Well the People’s Choice opened of course. Yes its your turn to vote for the Oscars of Art – The Archibull Prize 2015

WOW AWARD - The Archibull Prize

Click on the photo to see a larger version and vote for your favourite Archie.

We know these photos don’t do the entries justice so if you would like to see more elements and both sides of all these masterpieces and meet the students who created them you will find them in our Flickr Album here 

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