8 - IN SUPPORT OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
In the Government’s 2010 Strategy a number of areas were identified as posing environmental and long-term productive capacity risks for land use. These include:
- degradation as the result of soil erosion, soil compaction and other factors;
- in soil health; and
- of water quality and availability.
Environment 2010 has identified a number of actions required for managing land resources. This includes:
- land management practices that reduce soil loss, and maintain or enhance the quality of waterways, groundwater and coastal waters and protect them from suspended sediments, nutrients, harmful microorganisms and other contaminants;
- mitigate and remedy the impacts of land-related hazards, including flooding, subsidence and erosion; and
- land management skills and land use systems that will enable people and communities to provide for their social and economic wellbeing.
MAF Policy is contributing to these action areas through join initiatives including the development of the NZ Sustainable Land Management Strategy and the development of the National Science Strategy for Sustainable Land Management Research along with project based Green Package work programmes as well as through its Sustainable Agriculture Facilitation Programme. Within the Sustainable Agriculture Facilitation Programme operational research is targeted to identified priorities to provide extension programmes for interested parties such as farmers and regional councils.
Priorities in this area are established by a MAF Policy-wide team but Alan Walker and the Rural Policy Unit play a particularly prominent role.
Contact for Enquiries
Farm Monitoring Programme Manager
Monitoring and Evaluation
MAF Policy
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0623
Fax: +64 4 894 0741
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