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WOMEN IN AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE
Renewables: Fighting skyrocketing energy costs
By Anthony Brand
Escalating commodity prices, catastrophic weather events, and increasing acknowledgement of the need to protect the environment are leading many in agriculture to consider and adopt the use of renewables. And few know more about successfully transitioning to renewables than farmer, sustainability expert and conference creator Karin Stark.
and herself to install the coun- try’s biggest solar-diesel irriga- tion pump on their farm in 2018. She also heads a renewables consulting business, and created the burgeoning National Renew- ables in Agriculture Conference & Expo, as she continues to raise awareness by educating farmers and delegates about the benefits and technical feasibility of re- newable technologies. And while some view the re- lationship between renewables and farming as somewhat new, Karin says the sector’s interest has been growing for several years - which she personally
sustainable development before moving to the United Kingdom and finally back to Australia to live on her partner’s family farm. Although always working in the environmental field, it was her time on the farm 30 mins from Narromine in the Central West NSW, however, that in- spired her pursuit of reducing farmers’ energy costs and car- bon emissions by facilitating the adoption of renewables. Presently residing on her part- ner’s cotton and wheat farm, Karin understands the inherent energy challenges faced by farm- ers. This prompted her partner
Australian agriculture is experi- encing significant change as more farmers adopt the use of renewables to fight skyrocketing energy costs while simultan- eously witnessing first-hand the repercussions of a changing cli- mate. And few understand this green transformation better than Karin Stark, with the farmer and re- newables expert uniquely meld- ing the rare combination of technological nous and lived ex- perience. Born in Auckland and raised in Perth, Karin obtained a degree in environmental science and
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