Gippsland researcher, Amy Cosby, hopes her involvement in the Diversity in Agriculture Leadership Program will help her work in equipping the next generation - not just females - and current generations with the skills required to adopt technology within the agricultural supply chain.
Dr Cosby is one of eight women involved in the program, an across-sector, all inclusive initiative by the National Farmers Federation.
Dr Cosby is a Senior Research Officer in Agritech Education and Innovation at CQ University Australia and leads the GPScows engagement program
Her qualifications include a Bachelor in Agriculture and a Bachelor in Law and a PhD in Precision Agriculture.
“My research focus is on getting agritech into schools using young students as ‘agents of change’, with the idea of getting the next generation comfortable with agritech and increasing the adoption of technology on farms,” Dr Cosby said.
“We also focus on getting young people involved with agriculture and trying to bridge the gap between urban and country.
“Agritech has the potential to transform agriculture, but unless people have the capabilities to actually implement it on farm and make decisions from it the potential won’t be realised.
“The team’s focus is to build the skills and capacity of the next generation of the workforce as well as attracting people that might not have an agricultural background - but have an interest in STEM - to consider a career in agriculture.”
Dr Cosby said she hoped the Diversity in Agriculture program would increase her knowledge and skills in leadership and help her implement that in the work she does.
