Agritechnica, the world's leading trade fair for agricultural machinery, is significantly expanding its reach by now also organising an exhibition on the Australian continent together with Hannover Fairs Australia (part of Deutsche Messe AG). Earlier fairs were also organised in south-east Asia under the name "Agritechnica Asia". This year, FutureAg powered by AgriTechnica will take place in Melbourne for the first time. We spoke with Natalie Green, the Event Program Manager of Hannover Fairs Australia. FutureAg powered by AgriTechnica targets the broad agricultural sector in Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific.
WiA: Natalie, can you introduce yourself?
Natalie Green: I am the event program manager at Hannover Fairs Australia. It’s my role to build programs within trade shows that attract visitors by addressing and highlighting issues and interests important to them. FutureAg powered by AgriTechnica is my first experience working with the agricultural sector, unless you count the time I helped on my friend’s family’s sheep farm in the west of Ireland – which I don’t! (laughs)
WiA: What is FutureAg powered by Agritechnica?
NG: This April marks the inaugural FutureAg 2024 powered by Agritechnica. It will be an exciting exhibition, conference, networking opportunity and showcase for suppliers of agricultural and agro-industrial products, services and technology serving the markets of Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific. The exhibition will feature the latest agricultural equipment, machinery, technology and agribusiness services and the Conference is two days of the sharpest minds and greatest agricultural influencers and proponents in Australia discussing solutions for the issues and challenges farmers are facing right now.
To be specific, the fair will take place from 17 to 19 of April at Melbourne Showgrounds in Ascot Vale, Victoria, the largest exporting state of agricultural products in Australia.
WiA: Can you give some background on Australian farming & the position of your tradeshow in this landscape?
NG: Australia has a diverse agricultural, fisheries and forestry sector, producing a
range of crop and livestock products. Australian agriculture accounts for 55% of Australian land use and 13.6% of goods and services exports. The Australian Government set a goal of supporting the agriculture sector’s ambition to become a $100 billion industry by 2030. FutureAg’s appeal is with those motivated to see and learn more about the future of agricultural innovation and the technologies and expertise available today to help improve productivity and efficiency.
WiA: Do you have statistics on women in agriculture in Australia?
NG: From 2016 to 2021, the number of women employed as workers in agriculture here grew to represent almost 66% of the overall expansion in the agricultural industry. Forty-two percent of these women work in sheep, beef cattle and grain farming. According to the latest Australian Census, almost half (48%) of women working in agriculture were employed as managers in 2021.
Of course these numbers don’t reflect the whole picture as women in agriculture in Australia represent a great number of complex scenarios – everything from lack of consideration in family succession planning to excellent representation in the development of innovative agtech solutions and groundbreaking new agribusinesses.
WiA: Do you organize side-events dedicated to women in agriculture on FutureAg?
NG: This is something we would consider for the future. However, I have been pleasantly surprised how many women we have confirmed as Conference speakers. At least half on the program are female and have been enthusiastic about sharing their expertise and opinions – contrasting heavily with trade shows I have worked on for other industries where attracting women to speak has been a struggle.
WiA: How many of the visitors of the fair are women?
NG: As we are organising the exhibition for the first time this year, I do not have any data yet on the number of women attending but I expect there will be many females among our visitors, judging by the statistics.
find people who work in roles or ways that you admire and talk to them
WiA: What advice would you give young girls/women that are thinking about starting in agriculture?
NG: As anyone that has worked with the Australian agriculture sector will tell you, it is one of great generosity and full of welcoming networks, so my advice is to find people who work in roles or ways that you admire and talk to them. Get their advice, seek out mentorship. I would also encourage them to consider new ways of approaching farming as well as traditional roles. Technology plays a huge role in the future of ag and can be an exciting career path. And of course, attend as many agriculture events as you can. I know I do! They are an excellent way to meet people, discover tools and technologies that excite you and to broaden your horizons. Trade shows like FutureAg are a great way to do so because they are often free to attend and there is so much going on.