Ngāi Tahu Farming and the Government are partnering for a study aiming to validate the science of regenerative farming.
- Ngāi Tahu Farming, in partnership with Ngāi Tūāhuriri, has been given an $8 million grant for a groundbreaking research programme.
- One of its 286ha dairy sites in North Canterbury will be farmed using regenerative practices, while its 330ha farm next door will use conventional methods.
- The environmental, financial and social impacts of each practice will then be compared over time.
- Kua riro i a Ngāi Tahu Farming, rātou ko Ngāi Tūāhuriri, tētahi takuhe $8 miriona mō te kaupapa rangahau auaha mārika.
- Ka whakahohea e tētahi o āna wāhi huamiraka 286ha ki Waitaha ki te Raki ngā tikanga mahi whakahaumanu, ā, mā te pāmu 330ha kiritata ngā tikanga mahi māori noa.
- Ka whakatauritea ngā pānga ā-taiao, ā-ohaoha, ā-pāpori hoki o ia tikanga mahinga hei te tau tītoki.
A ground-breaking experiment aims to see a Canterbury dairy farm cut 20% of its greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of its nitrate leaching, and could one day change the way Kiwis farm.
Ngāi Tahu Farming, in partnership with Ngāi Tūāhuriri, has been given an $8 million grant through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund for a seven-year research programme.
One of its 286-hectare dairy sites at Eyrewell Forest will be farmed using regenerative practices, while its 330-hectare farm next door will use conventional methods.
The environmental, financial and social impacts of each practice can then be compared over time.
The $11.58m programme, named Te Whenua Hou Te Whenua Whitiora (The New Land, The New Horizon), was launched on Friday at Ngāi Tahu Farming’s North Canterbury operation, Te Whenua Hou.
Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor attended the launch event, along with Ngāi Tūāhuriri and Ngāi Tahu Farming representatives.
Ngāi Tahu Farming general manager Will Burrett said one of the key differences would be to “round length” – how long it took cows to graze each paddock on the farm, before getting back to the first one.
The regenerative farm would have a longer round length, taking about 30 days.
The cows would graze on a more diverse range of food, from a better mix of grasses, to herbs, to nitrogen-fixing legumes, he said.
There would also be no controversial synthetic nitrate fertiliser used on the regenerative farm, he said.
“We’re using alternative sources of organics and fertiliser.”
Burrett said they hoped the regenerative site would show a substantial difference in environmental impact.
“We’re hoping that we’ll be able to reduce our water requirement by 20%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, and looking to ensure that we can [increase] our soil carbon significantly.”
In terms of nitrate leaching into the groundwater system, a significant issue in Canterbury, modelling showed there was likely to be a 20% reduction in this too, he said.
Nitrate leaching would be measured in real-time using a series of underground devices called lysimetres.
But environmental impacts were not the only things being measured, Burrett said.
“[It is] also provide a working environment that not only our animals and staff want to be a part of, but the wider sector can adopt and replicate at scale.”
“We’ll have collars on our cows measuring a significant amount of data points every minute, to understand what the two different systems are doing to underlying animal health, reproductive health, and ultimately, our productivity.
“We’ll even be putting sleep rings on our staff to understand if there’s any underlying human wellbeing factors that we need to take into consideration between the two systems.”
Ngāi Tahu Farming manages nearly 100,000 ha of farm and forestry land in Te Waipounamu (the South Island), including 5000 ha of irrigated farmland on the Canterbury Plains.
Burrett said the hope was to one day have a regenerative farming system that could be rolled out across their wider business.
Minister Damien O’Connor said consumers in markets like the United States paid high premiums for food produced through regenerative systems.
“We believe our exporters can capture opportunity in this, provided there’s an evidence base for it – hence our investments like this one.”
The study aimed to demonstrate a viable alternative which enhanced soil health, had a lower environmental footprint, reduced water use, complemented the knowledge of Māori landowners, and was financially profitable, he said.
“Food and fibre provide the basis of New Zealand’s economic security… We are focused on investing to help farmers and growers lift their sustainability in ways that capture value in our markets abroad.
“When we get this right, we become the best farmers for the world.”
Ngāi Tahu Farming representative Barry Bragg said scientific research on regenerative farming at a whole-farm scale has been lacking in the sector.
“This additional Government funding marks a milestone for us as we can now speed up our mahi towards demonstrating the value of agricultural systems that work with the environment, not against it.”
Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga chairperson Tania Wati said mana whenua are pleased the new programme will focus on restoring and building soil health.
“We will have an expectation to see more farming operations adapting regenerative processes to protect our whenua for future generations.
“It is time for change.”
The study will also assess the impact of taking a regenerative agricultural approach on farmworkers.
This will be monitored through a range of metrics including worker wellbeing, engagement, sleep and fatigue, and task diversity and productivity.
Source: stuff.co.nz
