Curtin Agricultural Science graduate Gemma O’Halloran.
When Curtin Agricultural Science graduate Gemma O’Halloran began her degree, she assumed she would one day find her way back to her family’s farm in rural WA.
Instead, her studies opened her eyes to the endless opportunities within the agriculture industry and she was enlightened to help the global fight on climate change.
While the agricultural industry is often accused of being a major contributor of climate change, Gemma O’Halloran is determined to prove it can actually be part of the solution.
Growing up on her family’s farm in the South West of WA, the Curtin Agricultural Science graduate always felt she would return to her hometown after graduation.
However, after completing her degree, Gemma realised she was now armed with the knowledge and skills to help steer the industry into a more sustainable future.
“I didn’t envision a massive career path for me,’’ she said.
“To be honest I was thinking I’d work for a bit and then become a farmer’s wife, but my course at Curtin really opened up my eyes to what can be achieved with my degree and what incredible opportunities were out there.”
Gemma said her country upbringing gave her a well-rounded emersion in farm life.
With 15,000 sheep, cows and a broadacre cropping system, there was always plenty to do.
“It definitely gave me an appreciation for what’s going on in the natural world and what goes into food production,’’ she said.
“It also emphasised how important it is to look after what we’ve got so we can continue to farm well into the future.”
These days, Gemma works as a Customer Success Associate for SwarmFarm Robotics.
Based in rural Queensland, the company is a leader in the development of agricultural robots for crop production and prides itself on creating solutions for sustainable agriculture.
Its precision application of crop protection products assists the environment by reducing the amount of herbicide and chemicals used on Australian farms.
Gemma said it was during her studies at Curtin that her interest in sustainability piqued.
“I first heard about SwarmFarm Robotics in our sustainability unit – it was one of the examples of modern agriculture, and it sounded so exciting,” she said.
“Following graduation when I received a job offer from them, I couldn’t believe it. “
Aside from exposing her to her current place of employment, Gemma believes her course at Curtin gave her a deeper understanding and appreciation of sustainability.
Taking part in Curtin’s Sustainability Challenge unit last year further cemented the foundations for where Gemma’s studies would eventually lead her.
“The unit really drove home the different levels of sustainability and what that could look like on a social, economic, global and local scale,’’ she said.
Gemma said the Sustainability Challenge was a great unit that encouraged students to join forces with industry to help combat the effects of climate change and the environment emergency, no matter their field of study.
“There were students from fashion and design and media, and other faculties which provided a really interesting spin on how different people view problems and solutions.”
Above all, Gemma said the unit gave her a sombre understanding of the mammoth task at hand to address the threat of climate change.
“We’ve all got to step up, and I don’t think there’s enough recognition of just how fast things need to change,” she said.
With mounting pressure placed on the wider community to make significant changes, Gemma believed it was the larger corporations that needed to rise to the occasion.
“About 99 per cent of the big waste producers in the world are not really putting their money where their mouths are,” she said.
“Coming from a farming background, I’m aware of the misconceptions surrounding farming and agriculture and how it impacts the environment.”
“Sustainability now forms a massive part of the agricultural industry and is drilled into students right from the start of any agricultural business unit.”
Gemma said with laws becoming stricter and the demand for farming products increasing, farmers needed to be productive and sustainable in their practices.
A country girl at heart, Gemma is relishing her role at SwarmFarm where she is contributing to the solution.
“As the first autonomous agricultural farming organisation in Australia and one of the only ones in the world – it’s quite incredible what they’ve managed to build and do in rural Queensland,” she said.
“We’ve got five robots in WA at the moment so in five years or so it’d be great to see that number grow.
“It would also be wonderful to find my way back to WA at some point and run the WA department for SwarmFarm. That would be the dream.”
Written by Raquel de Brito.
