In 2017, before the current drought took its toll on the Australian economy, agriculture was the fastest growing of all industries, representing 16.3% annual growth.
Today, agriculture contributes 3% to the nation’s GDP, but work is under way in Australia’s higher education sector take that number even higher.
Charles Sturt University (CSU) recently submitted a plan to help grow Australia’s agriculture sector into a $100bn industry by 2030 as rains extinguish many of the remaining bushfires which have been raging since mid-2019.
The proposal – made in response to the National Farmer’s Federation’s goal to boost local agricultural production – was submitted to the Agriculture and Water Resources Standing Committee last week during a public hearing at its Wagga Wagga campus.
The University said it can help the federation achieve its goal by producing agricultural graduates to meet demand as well as conduct studies which will result in new technologies and methods to improve sustainability and quality of agricultural outputs.
While more than a billion animals were estimated to have died in the bushfires, there were no declared figures in relation to total agricultural losses. The Federal Government, however, said it will be providing $75,000 rebuilding grants to farmers while state governments have pledged to administer $100m in recovery funds.
CSU vice-chancellor Professor Andrew Vann, said that the Wagga Experimental Farm, situated in the Wagga Wagga campus, offered vocational agricultural education since 1892, almost a hundred years before the founding of the University itself.
“[W]e have been building on that long and proud history of learning and research,” Professor Vann said.
“The teaching and academic facilities, research centres and AgriPark development, which will facilitate a wealth of opportunities for innovation and productivity in collaboration with the private sector, are testament to the University’s commitment to driving Australia’s agriculture industry and water management strategies this century”.
The University of New England, for its part, has launched a new leadership program which seeks to improve the leaderships and management skills of women across the indo-pacific region who are involved in agricultural research.
This comes after the University won a tender to run the Gender Equity in Agriculture Research and Development training program.
Meryl Williams Fellowship – named after the trailblazing researcher and former WorldFish Centre director general— is an initiative from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to help women in agricultural research move up the leadership ranks in their respective organisations, such as in policymaking environments, private sector or non-government organisations.
Professor Andrew Campbell, ACIAR CEO, said researches conducted by various agencies show that giving women equal access to resources and in decision-making processes can lead to higher agricultural productivity.
“Through empowering influential women in agricultural science across the Indo-Pacific to play a greater role in their nations' policy and decision-making processes the Fellowship will ultimately improve food security and reduce poverty," he said.
Some 20 women from Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam recently finished their first two weeks for training. The participants will soon complete another program which includes workshops, online learning, career development placements, mentorships and networking in their respective workplaces.