Future Young Leaders Program

This week we bring you our evoke^AG. 2024 series with Natalie Bell, Hylo Ag, joining our contributor Jayne Cuddihy in conversation to explore the circular economy.

The Future Young Leaders for evoke^AG. 2024 have been announced, unveiling a cohort of five young and emerging leaders who are building cutting edge solutions and knowledge for a more sustainable and productive Australian agrifood sector and supply chain.

When you’re 16, everything’s a big deal. Natalie Bell was a teenager from Sydney facing the tough decisions – to stay at a school that doesn’t feel like the right fit – or move to a school with an agricultural curriculum. Her grandma shared seven words that have impacted the founder of Hylo Ag every day since. ‘Natalie, it’s not a risk, it’s an adventure.’

Dr Roberta Marcoli really loves four things in her life: her husband, her dog, pizza, and the ocean. But she’s especially passionate about how fish impact us, our future, and our planet.

Guy Coleman, 29, is the youngest of three, equipping him with the innate ability to share everything perfectly evenly. A self-confessed geek, obsessed with agriculture who grew up dreaming of getting a Clauss Lexion harvester for his birthday (spoiler: it never happened). He’s also an advocate for building on the foundations to get agtech back to the fundamentals of farmer and community driven innovation.

Katia Taylor’s always been a fan of detective stories. Now, through her work at CSIRO, she’s investigating the mysterious case of disappearing soil carbon.

Sam Lambert went from starting a new graduate job in global consulting in March 2020, excitedly unwrapping a new work phone and laptop, (like Christmas for adults, he recalls) to completely changing his career direction when lockdown sparked endless hours of curious contemplation.

Grand ideas to improve access to technology, international experience, and innovative approaches to improve the sustainability of farming, aquaculture and livestock, these are just some of the cutting-edge concepts that will be explored by Future Young Leaders at evoke^AG. 2024.

When Future Young Leader Malkah Lara-Muckenschnabl stepped off the stage at AgriFutures evoke^AG. after presenting her vision to revolutionise recruitment in agriculture, her phone lit up with messages of congratulations and potential networks to bring that vision to life. In this Humans of Agriculture podcast with Oli Le Lievre, Malkah talks about her childhood on farms in South America, her innovative idea to break down the barriers between agricultural employers and employees, and how applying for the Future Young Leaders program was a risk worth taking.

The search is on to find the next crop of emerging leaders, dedicated to the continuous improvement and prosperity of Australian agriculture and its value chain. Applications are now open and close Monday, 4 September 2023.

Australian agriculture is in the early stages of a dramatic disruption and a subsequent transition. There is rapid innovation across the entire value chain, investment in developing and scaling world-changing technologies and solutions, and we’re setting bullish targets on sustainability and environmental measures. But are we running the risk of leaving our farmers behind? Here farmer, Farmers2Founders project manager and evoke^AG. 2023 Future Young Leader, Matt Anderson urges the Australian agtech industry to not leave our farmers behind. 

How can we make agriculture an accessible, inclusive, and exciting career option for anyone to consider? What’s the key for encouraging farmers to adopt new technologies or practice change on farm? And how can greater access to education and resources support the industry to become more sustainable and resilient?

Two years on from being named an AgriFutures evoke^AG. Future Young Leader, George Chapman reflects on what the opportunity offered him, and how it still impacts his life at the forefront of regenerative agriculture today.

AgriFutures' Horizon Scholar and 2019 evoke^AG. Future Young Leader, Matt Nevison believes bringing together the worlds of economics and sustainability will help to create a stronger future for Australian agriculture.

10 emerging thought-leaders present their key ideas around food, farm and future.