Our Land and Water: a National Science Challenge

 

A couple of years ago the government started a project to go out and talk to as many people as possible to identify what where the big things that New Zealanders’ wanted answers to. These became the National Science Challenges (NSC).

The NSCs are an attempt to target the government’s science investment by targeting a series of goals that if achieved would have “major and enduring benefits for New Zealand. The NSCs aim to bring together existing and new research and scientist from diverse backgrounds and institutions to focus on these common goals.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has become involved in three of the challenges including Our Land and Water. Its aim is:

Research to enhance primary sector production and productivity while maintaining and improving our land and water quality for future generations.

As a result of a lot of discussion with researchers and stakeholders three themes have been proposed.

Collaborative capacity is about understanding and providing the social processes, the information, the tools, and the increased capacity that will let individual and society achieve their goals and live sustainably.

Innovation, resilient land-use is about the use of clever technologies and new ways to use the land to make sure that the primary industries continue to grow within the limits set by the set by society through regulation.

Greater value in global markets is about understanding the global value chains to produce new products, services and markets within the framework of New Zealand’s economic, environmental, social and cultural values.

Underneath all of this is understanding the land and landscape we farm – the soil types, hydrology, climate, and biology of the soil and incorporating it all into a sound farming system. Much of what farmers are doing in the preparation of land and environment plans is the beginning of this process. Sheep and beef farmers have a lot to contribute to this NSC and as Scott Champion CE of Beef + Lamb New Zealand recently said:

“We know that local voices count in community discussions and this … will be an opportunity for farmers to understand how to engage in their own community discussions and ensure the voice of sheep and beef farmers is heard and to help make the best long-term decisions for their farm business, their family and their communities.”

“At the end of the day we want to increase the number of sheep and beef farmers promoting environmental sustainability and we want farmers to have the skills and knowledge they need to be heard in catchment stakeholder groups.”

Watch is this blog for further updates on the NSCs as information becomes available.