Queensland’s farming women have an extraordinary set of skills – from juggling farm administration in the complex, dynamic environment of agribusiness to managing staff, budgeting, cost control and financial strategising. They are often the ones creating order from chaos and keeping things moving in a positive direction.
QFF recognises that women in our sector have many of the skills and capabilities needed in wider leadership roles in industry and the community. This year, with funding from the Queensland Office of Small Business, QFF is delivering an important project, “Advancing leadership and business skills amongst farm business women”.
Through this project, we hope to encourage farming women to strengthen their confidence as business leaders and bring their talents, ideas and passion to other places. QFF believes that supporting women from the intensive agriculture sector to participate in leadership roles in business, industry, community and wider levels will deliver significant economic and social benefits to Queensland.
Through regional workshops and an online survey, QFF is asking women to identify their business development and leadership aspirations, scope the support they need to enhance their capabilities as business and community leaders, and connect them to available programs and services. The project will strengthen women’s networks, boost their involvement in available programs, and generate baseline information to inform the design of a future, larger-scale program targeting farm businesswomen’s leadership development.
QFF is excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Office of Small Business to deliver this project, which contributes to the Advancing Small Business Queensland Strategy and the Advancing Women in Business initiative. We are also excited to be working with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), the Queensland Rural Regional and Remote Women’s Network (QRRRWN), CSIRO, AustSafe Super and Rabobank.
- 31.88 per cent of the people employed in Agriculture in Queensland are women (about 17,500). Of these 49.7 percent work part time and 50.9 percent full time.
- 21.52 per cent of the farmers and farm managers in Queensland are women (about 4,400).
QFF’s Women in Farm Business Workshops:
- Toowoomba – Tuesday 17 October 9:30am – 1:30pm, DAF Seminar Room, Tor St, Toowoomba
- Caboolture – Wednesday 18 October 9:30am – 1:30pm, Caboolture Hub Seminar Room, 4 Hasking St, Caboolture
- Bundaberg – Wednesday 25 October 9:30am – 1:30pm, Fairymead House, Thornhill Street, Bundaberg North
For more information, contact Jane Muller on jmuller@growcom.com.au