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FUTURE DROUGHT FUND FOSTERING A NEW GENERATION OF DROUGHT RESILIENT LEADERS IN BARKER

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Released 10/11/2021
  • The Australian Government is investing more than $11 million in the Future Drought Fund’s Drought Resilience Leaders program
  • The program gives farmers and others in regional communities the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills through leadership development and mentoring to help build local drought resilience
  • One mentee and three mentors have been selected in Barker for round one of the mentoring program

The Australian Government is investing in building drought resilient leaders through the $5 billion Future Drought Fund (FDF).

Member for Barker Tony Pasin said one mentee and three mentors have been selected in Barker in round one of the FDF Drought Resilience Leaders mentoring program.

Mentee: Susie Ifould (Cooke Plains)

Mentors: Jeff Schuller (Tintinara), Judd Smith (Avoca Dell) and Tanya Lehman (Bookpurnong)

“We are partnering with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) to create a new generation of drought resilient leaders,” Mr Pasin said.

“The mentoring program joins farmers and those with a close connection to agriculture with experienced industry professionals for a chance to learn about drought preparedness from those who have lived and worked through the issue themselves.” Mr Pasin said.

Mr Pasin said the program will bring participants together to share knowledge and experience.

“Farming skills, including drought resilience, are passed down from generation to generation. This program is about facilitating those connections to benefit farming communities here in Barker,” Mr Pasin said.

“The mentoring program will continue with 300 mentees matched with 250 mentors nationally. I’d encourage any interested farmers and those employed in the agricultural sector to contact ARLF to find out how they can get involved.”

The Future Drought Fund is creating a new generation of young and emerging leaders and encouraging learning and knowledge sharing to benefit Australian agriculture and the communities and livelihoods that depend on it.

For more information on the FDF: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/future-drought-fund

For more information on the ARLF: https://rural-leaders.org.au/our-programs/drought-resilience-leaders/

Fast Facts:

  • Applications for round two of the program close on 19 November 2021; a third round will open in January 2022.
  • A sub-component of the Drought Resilience Leaders program is a national webinar series open to everyone. The series continues to June 2022 with the second webinar on 18 November 2021.