Introducing Sterre Pronk - International Ag Student learning in WA
Last week Executive Manager Nardia Stacy met Sterre Pronk at the APAL Future Orchards Walk in Donnybrook.
Nardia was interested in finding out more about our international visitor. Turns out Sterre is interested in regenerative agriculture, so she asked her what attracted her to Western Australia?
Hi Sterre, great to met you! So how did I found you here in a Donnybrook pear orchard in Western Australia and what is your interest in the pome industry?
I am Dutch, lived in Southern Africa as a child and was therefore so I was initially attracted by Western Australia’s climate.
No university course fully equips you to deal with real life circumstances. Especially in the field of agriculture. I believe complementing theory with practice is of great value. Being twenty-one years old, I feel responsible to contribute to building a resilient society for the future. When I came across regenerative agriculture, I was enthusiastic about the hopeful message it put forth.
I decided I would learn most from the farmers themselves.
Are you having fun in Australia so far?
Through field days, lectures, my job, and the extended hospitality of WA people. I have the opportunity to see places an average overseas traveler would not visit with Newdegate, Kulin, Corrigin, Darkan, Kojonup, … and Donnybrook -The WA Apple Capital! I really enjoy meeting growers.!
Arriving in September 2022, I was blessed to see the wildflowers. Australia’s wildlife also fascinates me. Meanwhile, I have also done some more touristy stuff such as going to Fremantle, Rottnest, York, … At the moment Kalbarri, Augusta, Pemberton, … are still on the wish list!
What else have you been up to in the horticulture space in your travels – that is who have you worked with, what have you been doing, what have you learnt?
Knowing no one in the WA agriculture space upon arrival, I simply started googling for events where I would be likely to make good connections. I started attending events of different growers groupsto build networks. The extent of knowledge sharing amazes and inspires me. Lectures by Graime Sait, Brian Wehlburg, Peter Norwood, Bruce Maynard, the Haggerty’s, … introduced me to important topics within the field.
The incredible hospitality and openness of growers and farmers such as Jason Jarvis and David McFall provide me with insight in the challenges and strategies to run an enterprise in agriculture.
How did you enjoy the APAL Future Orchard Walk?
Though open to all segments of agriculture, horticulture interests me in particular because I enjoy observing an end product when it leaves your segment of the supply chain. The APAL Orchard Walk was therefore a rich learning experience that taught me about the specific needs of apple and pear orchards in their growth cycle.
The diversity of speakers with regards to academic background and nationality was great as it provided multiple perspectives. This is incredibly valuable as each business faces different challenges. Additionally it is great that PomeWest collaborates with other organisations - APAL in this case - to build a network across the country. Lastly, at field days logistics can sometimes be lacking but not at this walk. The experience was great!
What’s next for you?
I want to keep attending these type of events, I hope to gain an in-depth understanding of day to day challenges by working at one place for a while. I can put into practice the tasks in the field to understand why they are effective.
After a sufficient amount of time, I would like to go home and study Agroecology at Wageningen University. Because farming and food production is such an essential part of life and links to many other disciplines, I think that there will always be more to learn, and that is what I enjoy about this field. One day I hope to have a farm in Africa … but we’ll have to see how that works out.