To celebrate International Women's Day 2024 on March 8, the National Farmers' Federation has launched applications for its flagship Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program.
The program provides mentoring for aspiring female leaders who want to influence the future of Australian agriculture.
Open to 12 participants nationwide, the program provides a unique opportunity for women to clarify their goals and chart their own pathways toward achieving them.
NFF president David Jochinke emphasised the program's success in elevating women in their careers.
"Mentoring is powerful tool in leadership development and its what sets our program apart," Mr Jochinke said.
"By connecting emerging leaders with industry trailblazers, we're fostering the exchange of knowledge, experiences and expanding networks."
With a proud alumni base of 64 graduates, the program has facilitated transformative change within the industry with many graduates stepping into executive level roles, accepting board positions, and being changemakers within their communities.
GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel said programs like this were a valuable way of supporting women and delivering even stronger representation in the rural sector.
"Investing in agricultural leadership, by opening a pathway to aspiring leaders not only helps cultivate equality and diversity, but also draws together the widest possible range of opinions and ideas. It significantly benefits the wider agricultural sector."
2023 alumnus and Tasmanian berry farmer Steph Terry said the program came at a valuable time in her career.
"The program supported me in my transition from my independent legal career to becoming a Director and in-house lawyer within our family farming business," Ms Terry said.
"It also came at a time when I was progressing towards becoming President of Primary Employers Tasmania, an NFF member organisation.
"The opportunities the program presented to me including making strong connections with the cohort of like-minded women, participating in workshops, networking and mentoring tied together my change in career direction and my new role as President of an agricultural organisation."
Mr Jochinke said the program was key to supporting the NFF's goal to double the number of women in agriculture's leadership ranks and to make agriculture an inclusive industry for all by 2030.
"With the program in its seventh year, we're seeing generational change across industry and partners," Mr Jochinke said.
"We know that more young women, and culturally diverse people are entering the industry. We also know that agricultural female graduates are earning more than their male counterparts.
"It's now our job to keep this momentum going as women progress in their careers into leadership positions."
The Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program's success is made possible through the support of 31 dedicated partners, including multinational corporations, advocacy bodies, and government entities.
These partners exemplify a commitment to diversity by making public pledges toward meaningful change and committing to annual progress reporting.
For more information about the program, including details on alumni and application procedures, visit nff.org.au/programs/diversity-in-agriculture-leadership/
