East Gippsland Women in Agriculture
About the project
For long-term change to occur, social research has identified that all decision-makers must be involved in the decision-making process. With a commitment by all parties, change is more likely to become a common practice or a ‘social norm’ within a business enterprise.
In East Gippsland, farming tends to be a family business, with women being an intricate part of the decision-making process. In the past, most of the RALF capacity-building programs have been aimed at individuals who work on farms, which is traditionally a male-dominated demographic. It has been identified that raising the awareness and capacity of only one person on a family farm is an oversight. For this reason, the East Gippsland Women in Agriculture Network (EGWAN) was developed to address this gap.
To ensure EGWAN is relevant, a Steering Committee was formed to assist in developing projects that suited women who work on farms in East Gippsland. When designing project delivery for women in agriculture, it must be acknowledged that female farmers are burdened with farm work, off-farm work, and family duties.
Project Purpose
To provide training and other programs to build capacity and equip with skills to succeed in business and life.
To create a learning space where women will be encouraged to participate, inspired to learn, and confident to apply their learnings on the farm and beyond.
To create a network of East Gippsland Women farmers
What we do
Since the initial formation of EGWAN in 2016, the group has done numerous projects:
Learning new skills
Farm visits
Creating leaders
Social events
Small Skills
After the Black Summer Fires, the Women in Ag steering committee identified several areas that they felt were important to get extra skills. These included:
chainsaw training
how to repair a fence
rifle skills
working-dog training
small engine repairs (t.b.a)
how to drive a tractor (t.b.a)
SOCIAL EVENTS
High Country Farm Visit - October 2023
22 attendees, including farmers, collectively managing 6,509 ha of farmland
100% stated the event exceeded expectations with 85% thinking it was brilliant!!
Visited Jill Hill and Dee Commins properties with a stop at Nullamunjie Olives for lunch.
High Country Women
“Growing Farms… Growing Families”
In 2017 the High Country Women hosted EGWAN. This is a video about that day.
This project is supported by East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. EGWAN has had many funders over the years. They include: