From Germany to Jindera, to Broken Hill via Wagga, Uluru and Timor-Leste, Marieke Hoelscher is bringing a global perspective to agriculture in Australia.
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The former Albury High student, who has just graduated from Charles Sturt University with a bachelor of agriculture, is determined to use her overseas experience as she embarks on a career in the industry.
Ms Hoelscher has accepted a position with NSW Local Land Services and will move from the southern Riverina to Broken Hill at the end of January.
The move comes after a two-week study tour in Timor-Leste last year, where she was one of 13 Charles Sturt students to learn how farmers with less resources than those in Australia got the most out of the assets they do have.
"The main takeaway for me was that there is no knowledge gap for Timorese farmers, but rather a significant lack of capital and infrastructure," she said.
"There is also a lot of circularity and sustainability in Timorese smallholder farming systems that Australia can learn from, such as farming fish in ponds and then reusing the water to irrigate crops and a lot of other recycling systems that have been born out of necessity."
Charles Sturt senior lecturer Dr Jennifer Bond said the university's global programs give students an international experience as part of their degree, ranging from a six to 12-month exchange to internships or work placements.
"The Timor-Leste trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both the students and myself as we were able to explore agriculture and rural development there in a way that no tourist can do," Dr Bond said.
Ms Hoelscher said she hoped to use her travel experience as she progresses in her career in agriculture.
"My dream job would be to be an extension officer for emerging industries in Australia which would include lots of travel within Australia and overseas to gather information on how those industries are farmed overseas and how we can apply this to our own Australian systems, climate and soils," she said.
"I've naturally spent a lot of time in Germany visiting extended family, a lot of whom are involved in agriculture.