As the biggest user of land, often that owned by Aboriginal peoples, there is an increasing need for agriculture to improve engagement with Indigenous peoples. The benefits for agriculture are aplenty; the ability to boost agricultural productivity, build Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in the community, diversify the sector’s ageing and largely non-Indigenous workforce, build a new story understanding the truth and reconciliation needed for our industry and establish partnerships with the biggest landholders, even under Western law.
 
Despite the growing demand for an agricultural workforce in Australia, Indigenous peoples are underemployed across the sector, representing just 2.1% of the current workforce. Work is needed to address the low university rates of Indigenous peoples in agriculture and the lack of an Indigenous research and development corporation or self-determining structure for Indigenous agriculture. Reconciliation Action Plans, university scholarships and better retention and promotion of Indigenous employees provide significant opportunity to build pipelines for Indigenous talent, while reducing unemployment rates of First Nations peoples and creating pathways for ongoing connection to country.