The Western Australian Farmers Federation (Inc.) (WAFarmers) Leading Ladies finalised its inaugural Committee with passionate agriculturalist, Lauren Celenza, elected as its first President.
The remainder of the Committee includes: Senior Vice President, Lauren Duckworth; Vice President, Nicole Rose; Marg Agnew, Shirley Collins and Sarah Houston.
The Committee also took steps to develop an action plan to assist our future generations’ understanding and appreciation of where their food comes from and planning its first event.
Miss Celenza hails from a farming background in the Wheatbelt as well as studying at the Harvey Agricultural College and Muresk. She has previously worked as a Rural Journalist for The Countryman and is currently working for the Western Australian No-Till Farming Association (WANTFA) as its Extension Manager.
“It’s so important, where your food comes from and how it is grown and processed, but hardly anyone seems to know or care. And that needs to change,” she said.
“We need to start making food and farming fun to learn about, and the Committee plans to come up with ways of getting city kids and their parents involved in the agricultural industry through their interest in food.
“For generation X and Y, food has always been there, we haven’t needed to know or care about it, because the supermarket was the only thing we saw of it, however things are changing, if we don’t support our local growers then they will become extinct and we will face importing food and have food security issues.”
Miss Celenza said Leading Ladies was in the process of developing an event in conjunction with Women in Business WA.
“Women in Business WA is a membership body for female entrepreneurs and is a great networking organisation. For Leading Ladies to develop a relationship with this group will assist in our goal to bridge the city-country divide,” she concluded.