$1b bid for regenerative farming
Greenpeace is calling on the Government to spend $1 billion on a large scale transition towards organic and regenerative farming.
The environmental activism group has laid out a proposal for ministers on how to go about such a shift, as part of its coronavirus economic recovery package.
Greenpeace sustainable agriculture campaigner Genevieve Toop said serious investment in regenerative agriculture could be the catalyst for a much-needed shift.
‘‘Right now, we have an unprecedented opportunity to make the shift to regenerative farming that works with the environment, not against it.
‘‘We can build back better through the post-Covid economic recovery and make public investments that address the climate and ecological crises we still face. Backing farmers with a $1b regenerative farming fund is a crucial part of this,’’ Toop said.
The proposal says millions of dollars have been spent by past governments on intensive agriculture, including subsidies to increase agrichemical use and stocking rates, drain wetlands and convert forest into pasture.
Regenerative agriculture is a farming approach that prioritises building resilience through diversity and soil health and includes practices such as the use of cover crops, no tillage and ditching biocides and fertilisers.
The Greenpeace report lists investments to kick-start the transition.
■ One-off grants for agroforestry, cover cropping and reduced tillage.
■ The construction of plant-based food manufacturing facilities with valueadded food, fibre and timber processing.
■ Investment in research and development, training and advisory services for regenerative organic farming – this would include covering the cost of organic certification and the establishment of a research centre for regenerative and organic production and funding for research.
■ Financing the construction organic compost and seed facilities.
■ Financing the fencing and replanting of streams, wetlands and marginal land.
Greenpeace executive director Russel Norman said there was both a large appetite for such a transformation from farmers, and also resistance from some quarters.
Morrinsville dairy farmer Mike Garrud said conventional farming had already changed a lot. Most farmers were using soil tests to determine what inputs were needed, rather than applying them willy-nilly.
Regenerative practices, including diversifying pasture, crop rotation and disturbing soil less were already
of being done and sustainability issues were being addressed through farm environmental plans, Garrud said.
‘‘I’d rather see money be poured into science and research that could help us make a plant that can absorb nitrogen better or decrease our leaching of nitrogen into waterways,’’ he said.
Norman said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has previously said she wanted New Zealand to lead the world in sustainable agriculture.
‘‘Well that’s certainly not happening at the moment. So we obviously need to change quite dramatically. This is to assist that transformation,’’ he said.
Interventions that supported such a transition, like covering the cost of organic certification schemes or backing the establishment of a seed bank that could provide the necessary diversity farms would require, could be part of a new policy mix, Norman said.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said regenerative agriculture would be a ‘‘key component’’ of the Primary Sector Council’s
vision.
‘‘I have been following the work that Greenpeace has been doing and have also engaged with a number of farmers who are adopting a regenerative approach on their farms and seeing the benefits,’’ O’Connor said.
He was exploring ways to support farmers interested in this approach who could help build knowledge around regenerative farming, but recognised that it would not suit all farming situations.
A lower stocking rate of dairy herds, reduced use of fertilisers and more diversity in forage were part of a new picture of New Zealand farming that moved away from industrialised dairy operations particularly in Canterbury, Otago and Southland, Norman said.
A focus on more plant-based food production to meet growing demand was a way to support the economy and environment, Norman said.