THE FULL REPORT
This is a summary of a two-volume study by Jane Elix, Judy Lambert and others Missed Opportunities – harnessing the potential of women in Australian agriculture published in 1998. Volume 1. Social survey and analysis. Volume 2. Economic module – estimating the current and potential contribution of women in agriculture. The two-volume set is available from RIRDC for $30 plus $8 p&h, phone (02) 6272 4819 or use our online order form.

The national research project described here was jointly funded by the Rural Industries R&D Corporation and the Commonwealth Department of Primary Industries and Energy.

Who did we talk to?

A wide range of players in the agriculture and resource management sectors was involved.

  • 29 national agricultural leaders were interviewed face to face
  • 28 CEOs and Chairs of agricultural organisations completed a mail survey
  • 199 women and men actively involved in diverse aspects of the agricultural sector were interviewed by phone
  • 46 people attended focus group forums held in St George in southern-central Queensland and in Milawa in north-eastern Victoria
    •      What sort of people were they?
  • 256 people were surveyed—80% were women
  • The participants were active across the agricultural sector. The largest groups were partners in a farming enterprise (24%), and those employed in a government agriculture or resource management agency (15%)
  • The majority (64%) were aged between 41 and 60
  • The majority (63%) had university or other tertiary education, the most common area of study being agriculture
    •      What sectors were represented? Building a new future for Australian agriculture

    In 1995–96, the National Accounts reported that the market value of farm output was $14.5 billion. When you include the value of household work, volunteer and community work and off-farm wage income earned by people on farms, the real farm income was just over $28 billion. Women contribute 48% of this real farm income.

    But less than 20% of agricultural decision makers are women. This imbalance reduces the diversity in leadership needed to improve performance, both domestically and in a competitive global market.

  • The vast proportion of agricultural businesses are family-owned and operated. 32% of Australia’s farm work force is female. More than 70,000 women define themselves as farmers or farm managers. In economic terms, women’s contribution amounts to at least 28% of the market value of farm output or a gross figure of $4 billion annually.
  • Women’s main areas of contribution to on-farm output are in the areas of livestock care, value adding, farm tourism and business management—and in general, women see themselves as being responsible for introducing innovation to the farming operation. Women see their strengths to be in the areas of financial and business management, and in using their "people" and negotiation skills.
  • Women contribute to the overall viability of farming enterprises through off-farm work to a total of about $1.1 billion per year. In recent years, it is off-farm work (81% of which is done by women) which has enabled many farming families to maintain their enterprises and lifestyle.
  • Women in agricultural enterprises are both the "glue" that holds the family farm together—by taking a major responsibility for family maintenance and hands-on farming—as well as being business planners and creative strategists.
  • Women in agriculture also make essential voluntary contributions to their rural communities. It is estimated that this amounts to at least $0.5 billion a year.
  • In addition, women on farms contribute about $8 billion a year to the rural economy through unpaid household work.
    •      What are the barriers for women in agriculture?

    Overall, the greatest barriers to women’s expanded leadership in the agricultural sector are

  • Organisational culture—attitudes, communication channels
  • Family unfriendly workplaces—lack of flexibility
  • Self-perceptions among women that their skills and abilities are not adequate for the task
    •      Other barriers include
  • Absence of role models and mentoring
  • Lack of recognised experience—due to failure of organisations to apply "merit" principles, while valuing of a narrow set of traits
  • Lack of access to training
    •      Legal recognition of women’s role on farms was also an issue of concern. One forum participant commented that "My name is not on the title, even though I have sweated for 20 years on the property, so although we have very active discussions, [my husband] has the final say!"

    Women who had been involved in grower/producer organisations expressed frustration at the relegation of women’s knowledge and skills to "Social Issues Committees". There was also concern that the "tall poppy" syndrome led to personal attacks on women who had begun to take on leadership roles within such organisations.

    Our project participants said the major barriers were:

    For women on farms

  • time—"Women have gained the right to work longer hours!" said one participant
  • other commitments including outside work and family
  • age/physical ability
    •      For women in agricultural R&D
  • stereotyping of women
  • male attitudes
  • other commitments including family
    •      For women in agricultural organisations
  • stereotyping
  • male attitudes
  • self-confidence
  • other commitments including family
    •      What is needed to improve leadership in the agricultural sector?

    In recent times, the global workplace has focused on the importance of entrepreneurial skills and the ability to look to the future, and is recognising the benefits of diversity in management.

    At a time when Australia’s agricultural and pastoral sectors are experiencing great difficulty competing in the global market, we need to diversify management across the sector. Australian industry generally has an urgent need to upgrade its management performance.

    The 1995 Karpin Report found that diversity in management is one of five key areas in which improvement is urgently needed.

    It is therefore vitally important to the future of the agricultural and pastoral sector that it becomes a leader in building diversity in management, as part of the process of revitalising the sector and its international competitiveness.

    "Best practice" examples

    The agricultural sector can learn from examples of organisations outside the sector which have implemented strategies, and from organisations within the sector.

    Corporate business and universities

    Apple Computers Australia P/L, has in place

    University of Southern Queensland has
  • trained all members on selection panels in selection skills
  • conducted career development workshops
  • conducted seminars for academic women on applying for positions
  • developed a policy to increase the number of women on the University’s decision-making committees
    •      Lanes Biscuits P/L has • identified and trained key female employees to encourage their participation in higher level positions

    • introduced a mentoring program

    • advertised internally all new and existing positions and encouraged women to apply, and identified the training needs of women who did not meet the criteria

    Agricultural sector

    Elders has introduced a cadetship program designed to train women graduates for management positions within the company. The company has also increased women’s access to training, and is developing a broader awareness program based on feedback from Australian Women in Agriculture–NSW members.

    Dairying and the pig industry. In both the dairying and pig industries, initiatives have been taken in recent years to ensure that women gain a place in decision-making commensurate with the contribution they make in those sectors. The establishment of a Dairy Women’s Project and progress towards a Women in Support of the Pig Industry network are playing an important role in bringing about these changes.

    Federal Government

    31.6% of members of Commonwealth Boards are women.

    Strategies have included

    • the maintenance of databases of women with skills and interests relevant to their appointment

    • active encouragement of nominations by Chairs and CEOs

         However, even within government bodies, the agricultural sector has not yet matched this overall performance with only 15.5% of agricultural sector board members being women.

    Our project participants said:

    Responsiveness to change, leadership and improved communication and networking are the factors which will lead to increased productivity in the agricultural sector.

    Good leaders are those who can

    Key lessons for our future leadership

    Successful strategies to improve diversity in leadership in the agricultural sector will need to be:

  • developed and undertaken by women and men within the sector—and preferably at the highest levels within the relevant organisations
  • based on a statement/charter/platform of organisational change leading to increased diversity, and hence increased opportunity for productivity and profitability. The "charter" should be a written document which includes performance criteria against which progress towards diversity in management can be assessed
  • practical in their support of many women’s and men’s dual responsibilities as leaders and as parents
  • sensitive in their assessment of, and approaches to traditionally male enclaves and networks within the sector
  • inclusive of a wide range of strategies, which can be adopted in differing combinations by differing sections of the industry
  • monitored and nurtured by senior management and executive members, if they are to have any chance of being accepted as part of the cultural change.
    •      Changing the selection processes

    This project found that across the agricultural sector, there is a need to change selection processes for positions on Boards and in senior management, no matter whether in grower organisations, R&D bodies or agribusiness.

    One approach, already adopted by some in the sector, is to ensure:

    What can grower and producer organisations do?

    At the local or branch level

  • Change membership and voting rights to move away from one vote for a farm partnership towards individual membership or two votes for a farm partnership.
  • Take advantage of opportunities for greater use of home-based meetings, computers and teleconferencing, rather than always expecting participants to travel to central locations.
    •      At the state or national level
  • Consider appointment of representatives by merit rather than election and ensure that merit appointment processes are structured to gain a diversity of skills
  • Set targets for diversity in management
  • Arrange affiliations with women’s groups within agriculture (eg. Australian Women in Agriculture)
  • Develop and support women’s networks within the various producer sectors
  • Active support from existing Chairs and CEOs is essential
    •      What can government agricultural agencies do?

    Agencies should develop specialist units which will resource moves towards diversity by

  • building wider and more inclusive consultation processes [which move beyond minimal contact with leaders of "representative" organisations]
  • providing sponsorship (both financial and guidance) to women who might serve as role models (taking over the role that has been played by the ABC’s Rural Woman of the Year program)
  • providing education and training for senior managers in valuing and implementing diversity in management
  • ensuring strong and public commitment from CEOs and senior managers
  • reviewing legislation and policies determining the composition of government Boards and Advisory Committees to ensure that selection criteria are skills based
  • recruiting women in rural and remote areas to gain experience in management and seconding urban women to management positions in rural and remote areas
  • establishing specific regionally based research projects designed to explore the influence of different consultative processes
    •      What can agricultural research and
    development organisations do?

    Government, scientific and academic institutions should:

  • Ensure that R&D Corporations develop industry-specific women’s committees, to set R&D priorities and funding allocations, for an agreed proportion of the Corporation funds
  • Establish a Women’s Advisory Group to the R&D Corporation Chairs and Directors
  • Maintain and increase R&D Corporation support for post-graduate training and student development, given that approximately half of all graduates in the agricultural sciences are now women
  • Develop a highly regarded and coveted part-time Research Associate scheme (and other similar schemes) to keep talented senior research staff who want to spend time with growing families, within the career advancement structure
  • Review selection processes for R&D Corporation Boards and senior R&D management positions, to ensure selection on merit and a broader definition and assessment of that merit. Membership of Boards should reflect the full profile of interested parties, from producer through processor to consumer.
    •      What can agribusiness do?

    Commitment at the highest level is the most important aspect of increasing diversity in agribusiness.

  • CEOs should be encouraged to participate in events at which respected speakers promote the benefits of diversity in management
  • The organisation must be convinced to invest significant time and resources in achieving change, secure in the knowledge that, properly implemented, such change will benefit returns on investment
  • People, both within the organisation and from outside, who already acknowledge the benefits of this change, should be identified and recruited as champions of the change
  • Corporate graduate programs should be negotiated with tertiary education institutions to meet the specific needs of organisations seeking change in management
  • Cadetship programs should be established and promoted to recruit management trainees who can then be given responsibility in key areas of the organisation after graduation
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