- Crisafulli Government is supporting regional students to become next generation of female agri-prenuers.
- $300,000 innovation grant supports female Ag-Tech trailblazers.
- Regional Enablers Program driving innovation and economic growth in regional Queensland.
- The Crisafulli Government is delivering a better lifestyle through a stronger economy, and delivering a fresh start for Queensland.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering for innovation in regional Queensland and inspiring the next generation of female agri-prenuers.
The Grow Her: Advancing Young Female Founders through AgTech Program received $300,000 over three years to support its innovative initiative to inspire more young women to pursue careers in agriculture and create capable leaders for agriculture's tech-driven future.
It's part of the Crisafulli Government's plan to deliver a fresh start, supporting innovative new ideas that create a better lifestyle through a stronger economy, along with a bold vision to increase the value of primary industries production to $30 billion by 2030.
The program was funded through the Regional Enablers Program, which amplifies innovation opportunities across the State to accelerate growth in regional Queensland.
Teams of female high school students competed at regional events in Rockhampton, Townsville and Toowoomba, working with mentors to develop and pitch an innovative Ag-tech solution to a real-life problem.
Four winning teams from The Rockhampton Grammar School, Nambour State College, St Joseph's School Stanthorpe, and Columba Catholic College attended the Gatton AgTech Showcase this week where they were exposed to industry leaders and cutting-edge technology.
Minister for Science and Innovation Andrew Powell said GrowHer was one of 15 innovation enablers the Crisafulli Government supported through its Regional Enablers Program.
"The Regional Enablers Program is all about driving innovation and economic growth across regional Queensland," Minister Powell said.
"Queensland's innovators are building our state's future one bright idea at a time and we're proud to support a program like GrowHer to find the bright ideas in the bush and mentor the agriculture industry's next generation of leaders.
"It's exciting to see young people from regional Queensland bring fresh perspectives to address challenges in Queensland's primary industries."
Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett said programs like GrowHer were essential to primary production's future success.
"AgTech is a critical component of the future of primary production, and it is integral to how we meet our ambitious goal of growing primary industries to $30 billion by 2030," Minister Perrett said.
"Women have long played a vital role in primary production, and it is encouraging to see industry and education work together to equip young women with the skills needed for emerging careers in AgTech."
Grow Her project lead and CQUniversity senior agriculture lecturer Dr Jaime Manning said the competition unearthed some of the industry's future leaders.
"We are excited to create this opportunity to expose young women to the world of AgTech – events like this are the gateway to shaping the future of agriculture," Ms Manning said.
"The future of Queensland's AgTech industry looks bright with the quality of new and innovative ideas making it hard for the judges to choosing a winning team but this is a problem we are glad to have."
