AU: Bursary winners to be announced at celebration of Women in Horticulture
The NAB Agribusiness – Growcom Women in Horticulture Professional Development bursaries aim to encourage women in the fruit and vegetable industry to further develop their business capabilities and leadership skills through on-going involvement in training, industry conferences or other professional development opportunities.
Applications for the bursaries came from Queensland women involved over the past year in Growcom’s Women in Horticulture initiative which was supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries and sponsorship from NAB Agribusiness.
"The horticulture industry is being strengthened by the growing influence of dynamic, innovative women who are bringing new approaches to business and markets," said Growcom CEO Alex Livingstone.
"The majority of horticultural businesses are run by husband-wife or family teams. Women commonly take primary responsibility for areas such as packing operations, finance and payroll, workforce management, logistics, maintenance of quality and food safety assurance systems, market development and marketing and supply chain relationships – roles that are increasingly recognised as essential to sustaining successful agri-businesses," Mr Livingstone said.
"Most technical, professional development or leadership opportunities available in the horticulture industry tend to target men – so Growcom’s Women in Horticulture initiative has been a way to support women in our industry," he said.
Growcom will host the awards ceremony to honour the four bursary winners, highlight Queensland’s dynamic and diverse horticulture industry, recognise the roles women play in horticulture and celebrate the Australian Year of the Farmer.
Speakers on the program will include Katrina Hobbs, Chairperson, Australian Year of the Farmer Committee and CEO of Eden Farms, which supplies continental cucumbers from farms in Bundaberg and Hampton near Toowoomba.
Growcom has been proud to partner with NAB Agribusiness in delivering Women in Horticulture regional forums throughout Queensland this year. The sponsorship has allowed Growcom to organise high quality events and involve inspirational and topical presenters.
NAB Agribusiness offered the four professional development bursaries each valued at $1000 to encourage horticultural businesswomen who have been involved in the initiative to continue to grow their professional and leadership skills.
"NAB Agribusiness is proud to be supporting the Awards in order to encourage the professional development of women in Australia's horticulture industry," said David Brett, Head of Agribusiness, NAB.
"As an industry it's important we actively support women working in the horticulture sector in order for them to develop, grow and expand their leadership skills.
"Our partnership with Growcom is an important platform for this to occur and one we're very pleased to be supporting.”
The event will be held amidst the aromas, tastes, colour and buzz of Jan Power’s Powerhouse Farmers Markets – an ideal place to showcase the vibrancy of Queensland’s horticulture industry.
For more information:
Chris Walker
Growcom
Tel: +61 (0)7 3620 3844
Mob: +61 (0)408 014 843
Fax: +61 (0)7 3620 3880
www.growcom.com.au