More women than men are now studying agriculture and environment-related courses and the average age of the Australian farmer is 61 years old, according to the latest ANZ Agri Insight report.
Women make up just 34 per cent of agriculture employees and are estimated to provide about one third of all on-farm income today, compared to a significant 84 per cent of off-farm income – the report found.
However, with the number of women enrolled in agriculture, environmental and related tertiary courses increasing to 56 per cent, an additional 18,445 female graduates are expected to enter the workforce compared to 13,646 males.
“The role of women in the Australian agriculture has historically been ‘under the radar’ – providing support, advice, labour and alternative income while rarely being recognised as a fundamental part of the Australian agriculture industry’s success story,” ANZ Agri researcher Madeleine Swan says.
“Many women have been isolated from the broader industry as ‘silent’ participants on farms, however that trend is slowly changing, as more women gain qualifications in agriculture and related disciplines, and the workforce shifts to an increased formal, paid participation from women.”
“With recent federal government changes to the funding for agriculture courses in Australia is has never been a better time for young women to get into the industry.”
On current trends, there are likely to be at least another 48,000 jobs in the Australian agriculture sector by 2030 – of those, 27,000 are likely to be women and 14,000 of those in management positions.