International Day of Rural Women

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:17): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister tell the chamber about the importance of the International Day of Rural Women?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:18): I thank the honourable member for his question. Today is the International Day of Rural Women, first established by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 2007 to recognise:

…the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security, and eradicating rural poverty.

The theme of this year's International Day of Rural Women is 'Rural women sustaining nature for our collective future: building climate resilience, conserving biodiversity, and caring for land towards gender equality and empowerment.'

This theme highlights the central role that women play in rural and regional communities around the world in sustainability and climate resilience. Gender equality and empowerment of women is not just the right thing to do, it is key to the global fight against climate challenges. Rural women make up approximately 22 per cent of the world's population. They are more likely to experience poverty, unequal access to education, health, social services and employment opportunities. These challenges may be greater for Indigenous women and girls living in rural areas globally.

Despite the challenges, women are responsible for half the world's food production. Globally, women have been at the forefront of implementing sustainable farming practices and climate resilience. Indigenous women in particular provide ancestral knowledge and practices to food production, which prioritise conservation and sustainability.

In South Australia, women make up 30 per cent of people working in agriculture, forestry and fishing industries, while in the food and beverage manufacturing industry women account for over 40 per cent of the workforce. South Australian rural woman, like rural women globally, are at the forefront of sustainability innovation. I have spoken in this chamber before about Olympia Yarger, one of the keynote speakers at the 2024 Thriving Women's Conference, hosted by Women Together Learning (known as WoTL).

Ms Yarger is a climate action pioneer and the founder of agtech start-up Goterra, a system that uses maggots as a waste management system to process food waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I am advised that her system has saved more than 66,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, and this is just one example of many great South Australian rural women who have pioneered innovative and sustainable practices in their respective industries.

I am also pleased to highlight the programs PIRSA supports to advance rural women living in South Australia, the first of which is the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award and Acceleration Grant. The South Australian component of this national award has been delivered by my department for more than 10 years. The prestigious award acknowledges the key role women play in rural industries, businesses and communities, by providing $15,000 to innovative and rural-focused projects, businesses or programs. The acceleration grant provides for up to $7,000 for leadership and professional development for women who have an idea, cause or vision to assist them to bring it to fruition.

The next program I have also spoken about recently in this chamber, as I attended the graduation only last month. The WoTL Stepping into Leadership Program has been proudly supported by PIRSA since its inception in 2012. It is an eight-month program designed to support development of leaders in agriculture and agribusiness, and provides professional development, coaching, networking and mentoring support to 15 women for each cohort across South Australia.

Today, the International Day of Rural Woman, I acknowledge and thank the important work of South Australian rural women and also rural women globally as food producers, innovators, key contributors in their communities to wellbeing and empowerment, and key players in the global efforts to mitigate climate change.