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the australian farmer
port women with their business ventures and family farms. The program aims to deliver nota- ble outcomes in farm safety, and succession planning. Women can, as I do, draw on all the skills and resilience they have acquired to meet the challenges of being part of a male-dominated industry. Those trying times will make a woman stronger and give her more re- solve. Women are in many ways the backbone of farming com- munities, and their unique in- sights and talents are worth recognising and celebrating.
sion-making and leadership cap- acity in managing agricultural resources cannot be underesti- mated: boosting farm produc- tivity and economic and social benefits for women themselves, their households, and their com- munities. Building connections facili- tated by networking is known to help rural women and their com- munities. e.g., gender-safe learn- ing programs and encouraging women to participate fully in decisions affecting their family farms and business ventures. In Tasmania, the state gov- ernment offers industry bodies like TWiA the Strategic Indus- try Partnership Program that helps these organisations sup-
innovation and resilience at a time when our best resources are needed to meet the many challenges our industry faces. Womens’ contributions are critical to support rural commun- ities and manage the challenges of loss of productive land, divers- ification of farm income, declin- ing soil fertility, biodiversity loss, climate change, and extreme weather events, while coping with increased production costs and a shrinking workforce. Men and women process information, relate to one another, and experience leader- ship and empowerment differ- ently. The value of recognising these different learning styles and supporting women's deci-
Deb Morice is the Chair of Tasmanian Women in Agriculture.
With Stacey Cresswell and Ag Minister Jo Palmer at the announcement of the SIPP Grant that TWiA secured.
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