A powerful gathering unfolded recently on Kaurna Country.

The Australian Indigenous Women in Agriculture Breakfast, co-hosted by CSIRO and Australian Women in Agriculture (AWiA), brought together First Nations women, Māori sisters, and allies to celebrate culture, leadership, and innovation in food systems.

As part of the broader AWiA 2025 National Conference, themed "Growing Futures Breaking Barriers", the breakfast became a circle of connection, knowledge-sharing, and vision for agriculture's future.

Natalie Sommerville, a proud Wagadagam woman from Mabuyag in Zenadh Kes and the first Indigenous President in AWiA's 30-year history, set the tone. Farming on Ngadjuri Country for more than two decades, Natalie produces grain, wool, lamb, olive oil, wine, and bushfoods alongside her family.

"These collaborations between First Nations Australians and Māori wāhine are more than partnerships. They are pathways to shared knowledge, stronger leadership, and empowered futures," she said, reflecting on AWiA's partnerships with CSIRO's Caring for Country 2050 and Māori collective Te Pū Oranga Whenua.

Representing that collective, Lisa Warbrick spoke about Indigenous-led food sovereignty and environmental care.

"Our focus is always on feeding our whānau first, ensuring local families have access to affordable, nutritious food," she explained.

Through inter-regional food co-operatives and sustainable, low-input systems, Te Pū Oranga Whenua is reshaping pathways to healthier, stronger Māori communities while deepening connections with First Nations Australians.

Madonna Thomson, a proud Jirrbal woman and advocate for Aboriginal land management, followed with an inspiring address.

"First Nations science has always worked with nature, not against it. By respecting Country, restoring ecosystems, and embracing native foods, we can build a resilient, sustainable agricultural future," she said.

Ms Thomson highlighted growing opportunities in native grains, round limes, and desert quandongs while calling for mainstream agriculture to embrace Indigenous science in response to climate change and food security.

When it was my turn, I carried the voices of Larrakia Country. I shared stories from the North, including our Larrakia Seven Seasons, women's roles in fire management and food systems, and the cultural knowledge that has sustained us for millennia.

"The future of agriculture lies in elevating these voices, not as an add-on, but as the foundation," I said.

The gathering closed with the gifting a poem that captured the spirit of the morning:

The Heart of the Land -- A Poem for Te Pū Oranga Whenua and On Country CSIRO

In the soil beneath the sky so wide,

Where generations' whispers reside,

Indigenous women, steadfast, strong,

Carry the stories, ancient and long.

Through seasons of harvest, through winds of change,

Their knowledge remains, steadfast, not strange.

It flows like a river, deep and true,

From mother to daughter, from elder to new.

With hands that plant, and hands that weave,

They nurture the earth, and hearts believe

That the stories of old, passed down with care,

Shape the future, weaving a legacy rare.

In fields of green and paddocks wide,

Where history's echoes and wisdom collide,

Their voices sing of what was, and what will be,

A sacred dance, a timeless plea.

In circles of gathering, the women unite,

To share the gifts of knowledge, of light.

They teach the children of the plants and the trees,

Of the winds, the stars, and the whispering seas.

They honor the cycles, the rhythms, the land,

With each passing season, they take a stand.

For through them, the stories find their place,

In every seed, in every trace.

As the sun sets low and the moon rises high,

They tend to the earth with a knowing eye.

Their strength, a foundation for futures to grow,

Their wisdom, a river, forever to flow.

For the land is their mother, and they are the keepers,

In their hearts, the rhythm of history deepens.

Through Te Pū Oranga Whenua, their voices rise,

Bringing hope, unity, and new horizons to the skies.

Written by Marni Williams, CSIRO – Research Project Manager, April 2025

For those who could not attend, you were missed. This movement is stronger because of every one of you, near or far. Together, we are weaving a powerful story of Indigenous women leading the way in agriculture, reshaping systems, strengthening connections, and planting seeds for generations to come.