Farmer Advisory Panel
The FTA Farmer Advisory Panel is about bringing together expertise and knowledge from a diverse range of fields representing every step of the farm transition process.
The key ingredient to transforming the Australian food system is collaboration. We must work together in diverse networks and partnerships, sharing knowledge, expertise and perspective, to ensure we are all able to transition to a more sustainable and ethical food system.
The FTA Farmer Advisory Panel is made up of volunteer members, who are committed to supporting and advising farmers through the initial planning and research phase of their farm transition, including farm assessments.
FTA Farmer Advisory Panel Members
Rebecca Knowles
Stockfree Farming UK
Rebecca Knowles is the founding director and head of farm transitions at Stockfree Farming in the UK - a Scottish-based charity that assists and supports farmers in transitioning from livestock farming into alternative forms of land management.
Having honed her skills through hands-on experience in various farm settings, Rebecca's passion for nurturing the earth has guided her journey from studying Agriculture at the University of Aberdeen to her current pivotal role at Stockfree Farming. Rebecca's wealth of knowledge will undoubtedly play a crucial role in guiding and empowering our beef and dairy farmers as they navigate the path toward more sustainable plant-focus practices.
Harrisson Lee & Lauchlan Grout
Founders, Hemp Farms Australia
Hemp Farms Australia (HFA) is an Australian leader in hemp seed genetics, combining over 20 years of traditional breeding, data driven selections and agribusiness knowledge to supply premium registered industrial cannabis genetics suited to or suitable for sub-tropical climates. Harrisson Lee and Lauchlan Grout established Hemp Farms Australia in 2013, assisting Australia’s mainland hemp industry to transition from plot-farming to commercial cropping. Today, Hemp Farms Australia is the base of Australia’s cannabis value chain.
Harrisson and Lauchlan are valuable assets to farmers wanting to transition their own farms, able to offer insight into the hemp farming industry along with advice to optimise supply chain and processes whilst avoiding costly mistakes.
Jailene Santana
Founder, Rewild for Resilience
Jailene Santana is the founding director of Rewild for Resilience, where she works with landholders on projects to restore ecological values to help them increase resilience against the impacts of climate change. She also consults and conducts research on sustainable development issues. Jailene has a background in Environmental Policy, Economics and Sustainable Development, as well as Environmental Conservation. She has expertise on the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security. She has a Bachelor of Arts in International Environmental Studies, a Master of Science in Environment and Sustainable Development, and a Master of Public Policy. Jailene is passionate about human rights, the rights of nature and wildlife, and educating the public about how nature is inextricably tied to our economic system. She is also currently working to specialise in Biodiversity Finance and is currently working with a landholder to transition their property from a cattle property to a commercially successful bush tucker orchard.
Emma Håkansson
Emma is an author and the founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, working for a fashion system which values life on the planet before profit. She has lectured on responsible production and supply chains internationally, and her work has been featured across The Guardian, Business of Fashion, Forbes and many others. She has engaged with the farming community, and helped to promote sustainable production of Australian cotton, among other plant produce.
Kyra Fabianke
Kyra is a doctoral researcher and teaching associate at Monash University where she forms part of an important Australian Research Council funded project that seeks to find ways for businesses to transform themselves and adopt sustainable business models. Her research explores and supports innovative strategies for managing business pathways to a more sustainable society. She holds a Bachelor (Hons) in human geography and a Masters in global studies. Prior to commencing her PhD, Kyra worked as project manager as well as a sustainability & corporate responsibility consultant. She is also an internationally certified trainer, coach, and consultant according to ISO 17024 with a keen interest to accompany individuals and organisations through processes of change - such as transitioning into future-focused, sustainable farming and finding employment that is both personally fulfilling and societally beneficial.
Casey Clifton
Casey Clifton is the founding director of Alive AI, an Australian technology company established with a mission to build AI for people and the planet. Alive AI has deep expertise in building advanced AI vision and language systems to support carbon development, biodiversity monitoring, and animal welfare projects. Casey has worked in AI for nearly 10 years, and has a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Western Australia. He is passionate about the potential for AI to help Australian farmers smoothly transition to regenerative and sustainable practices by automating time-consuming tasks, processing complex information, and assisting with data-driven decision making.
Can you help Aussie farmers navigate a farm transition?
We are looking for farmers (current and former), agronomists, horticulturists, agribusiness professionals and other associated experts to collaborate and advise farmers wanting to transition into future-focused, sustainable farming or business. We welcome expressions of interest to join the panel.
Farmer Advisory Panel - Expressions of interest
