Seven inspiring women from across rural Australia have been awarded the 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women's Acceleration Grant, empowering them to turn their idea, cause or vision into real-world impact for rural and emerging industries and communities.
The grant provides up to $7,000 bursary from AgriFutures Australia for professional learning and development, helping recipients test and progress their bold concepts, build skills, and become leaders in rural Australia. The program complements the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, supporting women with early-stage ideas who aren't yet ready to apply for the Award.
AgriFutures Australia Manager of Capacity Building, Sarah Hope said this year's recipients highlight the growing role of women as change makers and leaders in rural Australia.
"Now in its fourth year, the AgriFutures Rural Women's Acceleration Grant has supported 28 women from across rural Australia, and every year, we see more women stepping forward with ideas that create real impact in their communities," Ms Hope said
"These seven women are tackling challenges at the heart of rural life, from safety and wellbeing to education, innovation and community resilience.
"Their ideas show the value of lived experience in the development of practical solutions that have the potential to transform lives, communities and entire industries across rural Australia."
Meet the 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women's Acceleration Grant recipients:
- Claudia Humphries - Oberon, NSW: Claudia is an agriculture educator and founder of AgHeroes, a hands‑on food and fibre education program designed to inspire young Australians to understand where their food and fibre comes from. Through interactive workshops, character‑driven learning resources, and partnerships with industry bodies, she aims to bridge the growing disconnect between producers and consumers. Claudia's vision is to build a generation of informed, curious students who value Australian farming and its role in their communities.
- Julia Strang - Bathurst, NSW: Julia is developing an early‑intervention approach to reduce homelessness among women over 55 - the fastest‑growing at‑risk group in Australia. Her work focuses on prevention decades earlier, helping younger women in regional areas strengthen financial autonomy, workforce continuity and social connection. Julia's project seeks to unite financial educators, social services, health and well being specialists, women's networks and policy groups to create long‑term, community‑driven solutions that support women's security and independence across life stages.
- Leneila Lynne - McKinnon, VIC: Leneila is the CEO and co-founder of Acumind AI, an adaptive, multilingual digital learning platform transforming how agricultural workers learn about safety, compliance and on‑farm processes. Her Learning Intelligence Platform uses AI‑powered personalisation and visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic (VARK)[SI1] learning principles to make critical training accessible for CALD and diverse workforces. Leneila's mission is to improve safety, inclusion and productivity across the agricultural sector by replacing outdated induction materials with clear, engaging, worker‑centred learning.
- Rebecca Lane - Winchelsea VIC: With a background in operations and risk management, Rebecca is developing Business Back‑Up Plans - a practical continuity planning service tailored for regional solopreneurs, consultants and small teams. Recognising the vulnerability of service‑based businesses that rely on a single person, Rebecca is adapting global Business Continuity Institute (BCI) frameworks into simple, usable tools designed specifically for rural Australia. Her vision is to strengthen regional economies by helping small businesses stay resilient through unexpected disruption.
- Rebecca Couch - Brucknell VIC: Rural nurse, farmer and health advocate Rebecca is the founder of The Wellness Couch Co., an initiative empowering rural women to better understand perimenopause and menopause. Through her PeriPause Power Hour workshops, she translates complex health information into practical, relatable tools delivered in familiar community spaces. Each woman receives a 'Wellness Couch Toolkit' - a simple, evidence‑based guide to navigating midlife health with confidence. Rebecca's mission is to normalise these conversations and improve wellbeing across regional communities.
- Stephanie Allanson - Bungendore, NSW: Stephanie is building an organisation to support rural community members who have experienced sexual violence. Her project aims to counter misinformation, break long‑standing silence and provide clear pathways to support services. She also plans to develop practical education resources for employers - including induction materials and guidance on responding to harassment - to help create safer, more informed workplace cultures in agricultural settings. Stephanie's vision is to foster healthier, more respectful communities across rural Australia.
- Toni Duka - Millicent, SA: South Australian facilitator and coach Toni is designing a positive‑psychology‑based program to help farmers navigate the transition to retirement - a life stage often marked by identity loss, relationship strain and challenging succession conversations. Through workshops, peer groups and reflective coaching, her project supports farmers to reconnect with purpose, redefine their identity and build meaningful roles beyond the farm gate. Toni's approach aims to strengthen individual wellbeing while improving intergenerational succession and community vitality.
