Overview
The Australian Young Farmer Challenge (AYFC) is an opportunity for young people and agriculture to take centre stage on a local, state and national level. The AYFC competitions provide entertainment and crowd engagement as well education for the broader community about agriculture, food and more specifically, the role of farmers and farm safety.
Agricultural Shows Australia (ASA) have received funding from a Federal Government Grants program: Building Landcare Community Capacity (BLCC) as part of the Smart Farming Program under Phase 2 of the National Landcare Program. The purpose of the program is to support the sharing of knowledge and achievements and promote community leadership.
Currently, the AYFC is a demonstration of the talent, skills, techniques and safe work methods that young farmers use every day for work. Competitors are asked to do their best to complete the challenges correctly against the clock, as well to focus on safety, and most importantly, enjoy the competition and provide entertainment to the audience. Over 100 competitions are run annually at agricultural shows across Australia, however there is a huge scope to expand this network of youth in agriculture.
The AYFC Regional Grant Program is now available to support the costs of organising and running AYFC competitions at a local, regional and state level across Australia. From start-up competitions through to established local competitions looking to expand into regional and state competitions, funding submissions will be accepted from all eligible organising committees.
Objective
Deliver economic support to local and regional groups to run engaging and sustainable AYFC competitions.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are organising committees of an AYFC Competition at a state or regional or local level.
Preference will be given to submissions that demonstrate how funds will support the ongoing organisation of AYFC at multiple events or across a several years. A large the funding should be allocated towards capital expenditure.
Examples of eligible activities include:
· Purchase of capital resources for AYFC competitions.
· Equipment that will service multiple young farmer competitions.
· Expenses such as hiring equipment and other services.[GC1]
Examples of ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:
· Consumables for the Competition.
· Rent or hire fees for showgrounds and/or facilities
· Activities associated with alcohol consumption or gambling.
Assessment Criteria
Return on Investment
Sustainability/Long Term Impact
Innovation
Feasibility
How to apply
Eligible applicants can submit the below application form. Information required includes:
1. Organisation Details
2. Key Contact Details
3. Grant amount requested (up to $10 000)
4. Project Overview
5. Demonstration of Project Sustainability
6. An itemised breakdown of the proposed activities, goods or service to be funded.
Please note: At the completion of the project, applicants will be required to provide a brief report to the National Next Generation on the outcomes of the project, report on the Australian Young Farmer Challenge including participation statistics and updates on the sustainability of your competition(s) I.E.: plans for the competition without the grant funding.
Timing and key dates
Applications open August 2020. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application within seven days of being submitted.
A completion report is required from successful applicants within three months of the show.
Contact
For more information, please contact the Project Officer on 0402 571 494 or email projectofficer@agshowsaustralia.org.au