AUSTRALIAN WOMENMAKING DREAMS A REALITY

SRDC PRESENTATION DECEMBER 1 2010

Farming

Businesses

Leadership Positions

Grassroots (Rural Community Development) Family

and commu

nity

Who am I?

Drivers Australian Agriculture• Changing consumer demand• 80/20 rule fast becoming 90/10• Adding value• Climate variability• Peaks and troughs of the commodity market• Technology pot-hole• Policy risks• New generation of farmers

Impact on Family Farms

• Family farms make up 93% of Australian agriculture• ROA for middle and bottom of each market below bond rate• Pressure from variable climate• Increased rate of aggregation• Increased debt• Feeling isolated from policy decisions• Urgent need for new sets of skills (marketing, risk

management, investment management, systems development, HR management)

• Need for strong business background and education

Challenges

Directing Investment

Wild

Cats

Star

Dog Cash

cow?????

MAR

KET

ATTR

ACTI

VEN

ESS

BUSINESS STRENGTH

Assessing and Managing Risk

Factoring in Uncertainty• Predictive capacity – scanning and foresighting – how

porous is your business? What is coming over the horizon?

• Liquidity – is it sufficient?• Capital raising capacity (equity, debt) under stress?• What’s your spread of risks and opportunities?• Complexity of the system you’re in – how are other

players acting? What is the value chain doing?• Which lever can you use PRICE X YIELD - COST

Adaptive CapacityExternal Focus

Network connectedness

Inquisitiveness

Innovation

Reference: Carl Sussman

Family farm – Decision making processes

• Challenge of getting everyone on the same page and keeping them there!

• Building dynamic processes that allow entry, exit, shareholding managed as assets

• Handling leadership transitions• Continuous renewal of the business model• Performance management within a family• Making business decisions, not based on family

dynamic

What’s happening to Women?

• Working more on farm• Working more to managing the farm business• Working more off farm• More involved in community and volunteering

activities• Reduced time with family and reduced leisure

timeRef: Curtin University Research

Factors in Women’s Participation

Confidence

Skills and capacity

Structural barriersResistance to change

Cultural barriers

My RIRDC Project

• Develop a decision support tool to enable commercialisation of the technology on farm.

• Business case development and promotion.• Look at examples of regional community

anerobic digestors for potential application in Wheatbelt communities of WA.

• Future – environmentally branded pork product (market eco-credentials)

The future belongs to those that believe in the beauty of their dreams

Eleanor Roosevelt

Thank you for your time!

Sue Middleton

P 08 96711915

M 0427 996 730

E: sue@agcorp.com.au

NAMADGI NATIONAL PARK, ACT

Is this the image you visualised?

Mark Whitten – Extension Officer Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation

Small Group Challenges

Exploring communication, support, encouragement and success parameters......and for the majority becoming familiarised with the emotions attached to fear of heights.

BASIC CAMPING A team building exercise in itself!

Intense physical activity to explore performance under pressure and group

motivation strategies

Chasing an Elephant with a 4WD

SECRETS of a SUCCESSFUL 4WD TEAM

Communication Support Encouragement Planning

ABSEIL 1 ABSEIL 2

ABSEIL 2

TEAMWORK – Abseiling for Backpacks

DESCENT = ACHIVEMENT

VALUES JOURNEY“Personal Leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them”

- Stephen R. Covey (Author The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

Visiting ‘Our House’- Question Time in both the Senate & House of Representatives

- Meeting with Senator Gary Humphries (Member for the ACT)

- Back of House Tour

- Networking with MP’s and Staff

Tools Acquired in the ClassroomPublic SpeakingCommunication and Body LanguagePersuasion & Effective PresentationsManagement vs. Leadership

Facilitating effective meetingsConflict Management and Crucial ConversationsUnderstanding Group Dynamics

Invaluable ToolsIdeas shared, Networks expanded and Friendships formed

TRAIL Participants 2010

Thankyou SRDC for your support