The Kangaroo Island lamb producer firmly believes engaging workers in lifelong agricultural careers will drive the sector forward and ensure its sustainability.
“Travelling in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, I met the founder of WhyFarm, Alpha Sennon, who is working to create a new and improved image of ‘agri-COOL-ture’ among school children,” Mr Heinrich said.
“Revitalising the image of agriculture among children, presenting it as a career opportunity alongside firefighters, police officers and doctors, will be pivotal to ensuring a sustainable future workforce.”
In addition to his background in farming, Mr Heinrich is a board member for Sheep Producers Australia and the 2017 Nuffield Scholar.
“Opportunities need to be presented to students to show how they can have a fulfilling career in the industry,” Mr Heinrich said.
“Visiting Hokkaido University, Japan, I met with Dean Atsushi Yokota and Yoko Saito, lecturer in Agricultural Economics, who shared that very few young Japanese farmers go to university.”
The belief that farming doesn’t require higher education has resulted in few study paths and one of the oldest workforces in the world.
The average Japanese agricultural worker is 67 years old and in 2015 there were 60 per cent fewer farmers in the country compared to 1985.
In Snowdonia, Wales, Mr Heinrich followed a “graduate-type program” offering a one-year tenure on a farm to aspiring young farmers.
These placements created a valuable entry point to people who could not afford to break into, or inherit into, the sector.
“It is critical we seek to better understand and address these barriers to present the viability, diversity and opportunities that exist for young people open to exploring a career in the sector,” Mr Heinrich said.
His report into retention of career workers can be accessed at: https://nuffieldinternational.org/live/Reports
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