Food, Farming & Freshwater Roadshow

Food, Farming & Freshwater Rural Professional Roadshow: Local scenarios with practical applications.

The team from Our Land and Water National Science Challenge in conjunction with NZ Landcare Trust are on the road again, bringing to you a range of speakers to present practical science research for farmers and landowners.

You are invited to join this informative day looking at the role of rural professionals in the sustainable future of our primary sector and explore local scenarios with practical applications you can use in your everyday work. This event offers an opportunity to delve into independent research discoveries and engage in thought-provoking discussions. Leading independent researchers will each give a brief outlook of opportunities, some threats, and current (and future) signals in our markets.

Please RSVP below. Doors open 8.30am and first speaker starts 9am sharp.

Discussion areas and speakers:

Big Picture – Dr Jenny Webster-Brown, Our Land and Water National Science Challenge
Introduction of Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, the purpose, the methods and the science.

Connecting Producers and Consumers – Suzanne Vallance, AgResearch
How can Rural Professionals use their skills, influence and farmer trust, to aid the sector in building social licence? Do farmers perceive good farming practice differently from consumers and citizens in Aotearoa? Aligning the perceptions and practices of ‘good farming’ may be key to community approval or acceptance (social licence to operate).

Scarlatti Understands Signals – Denise Bewsell, Scarlatti
This research project identifies the key signals that lead to a constructive response from land stewards to move towards more resilient, healthy, and prosperous land use. It will also investigate how this information and signals can be used by those working with farmers and growers.

Revitalising Te Taiao – Simon Stokes, Simon Stokes Consulting
Rural professionals, if their roles are connected in any way to the environment, are increasingly required under legislation to engage with, consult and co-design, with local rūnanga, hapū, and iwi. Revitalising Te Taiao, respecting that all knowledge starts as local knowledge, through engagement and connection looks at how solutions can be tailored to fit the local context of production, economy, community, and environment alongside those groups.

Land Use for a Nutritious Diet – Richard McDowell, Agresearch
Have we got the ability to provide a sustainable and healthy diet by adapting land use in Aotearoa? This discussion looks at whether the raw ingredients for this optimal diet can be grown in New Zealand, in an affordable way that meets targets for reducing water contaminants and greenhouse gas emissions.

Designing Freshwater Monitoring Programmes – Olivier Ausseil, Traverse Environmental Ltd
Many people are taking action to improve freshwater quality through activities such as stream fencing and planting, wetland restoration, and changes in farming practices. This programme has developed a tool to help all groups involved in freshwater improvement actions to design monitoring programmes that will measure the success of actions to restore freshwater, and to help them select appropriate monitoring technologies that enable early detection of improvement.

Land Use Diversification – Steve Thomas, Plant & Food Research and Simon Harris, Land Water People
The Data Supermarket is a new online storehouse of data about the ingredients, food and fibre we can grow in New Zealand, now and in the future. It includes information about a wide variety of vegetable, fruit, arable, animal, plant and tree crops, plus climate and economic data. We’ll work through some real world examples to see how this work can be used in a practical context. 

EU Farm to Fork Strategy – Tiffany Tompkins, OANZ
The European Union’s Green Deal, especially the Farm to Fork Strategy, presents challenges and opportunities for New Zealand exports into the EU, and into other regions that adopt similar standards in response. What opportunities exist and how are we placed to capitalise on these now and into the future? 

Doors open 8.30am and first speaker starts 9am sharp. If you need to leave early please still register online below.

Resources will be available and lunch provided. For catering purposes, please RSVP below or call Mark Woods on 027 656 0836 with any queries.

Available on the day will be a range of free guidance and tools to help farmers with freshwater management. Talk to the researchers as they show how they have worked alongside farmers and growers to achieve and identify common goals and opportunities.