9. Facilitating resource management
This category provides information which will assist in developing and implementing policies on biophysical factors which influence sustainable agricultural practices namely food safety, environmental effects due to agriculture and horticulture, and animal welfare issues driven by domestic concerns. A key driver for all three issues has been the urbanisation of the population that has isolated the majority of New Zealanders from contact with agriculture. Negative aspects of farming are open to exploitation by the media. Increasingly, the public is demanding assurances from farmers and food processors about the manner in which food is produced. "Quality products from a quality environment" encapsulates these concerns.
This research category deals with farming systems and requires multi-disciplinary research. Research activities are likely to include:
- Developing effective food safety standards. The development of the Hazards Analysis Critical Control Point approach to food safety could revolutionise the inspection function in our food processing industries. New policy to introduce contestability for verifying and certifying food safety needs to be underpinned by adequate research if the potential efficiency gains are to be achieved and food safety maintained.
- Determining the effects of farming practices on the environment. This information is necessary to evaluate perceptions that New Zealand's environmental performance lags behind Australia and some other OECD countries. Information in this area is also essential for developing the policy processes of relevant legislation e.g. the Resource Management Act.
- Developing decision support tools to provide assurances to consumers of the quality of food and fibre (food safety, low residues), and aspects of farming systems and practices impacting on animal welfare and the environment.
- Providing environmental indicators or reporting systems for monitoring soil quality, water quality, air quality, biodiversity and energy use.
- Developing animal welfare guidelines. Farming practices directly affect animal welfare. Information is needed to objectively judge whether traditional practices (e.g. methods for docking sheep) should be changed or whether they are acceptable.
9.1 FRM 407
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| Programme Goal: | To develop a systematic approach to the evaluation of the environmental fate of pesticides with particular reference to site specific predictions of residues in soil and water for use in post-registration assessments and management plans. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | Validation of PEMOSYS | |
| Research Leader: | Dr Patrick Holland |
Description:
To develop a system for predicting the fate of pesticides in New Zealand soils and managing the contamination of water resources, by:
- Validating the expert system PEMOSYS through laboratory and field experiments involving two representative field sites with applications of 3 widely used herbicides.
- Using PEMOSYS with a range of field and laboratory data to develop soil and climate scenarios which provide reliable predictions of pesticide on a local and regional basis.
- Providing extension of results to two regional councils (Environment Waikato, Marlborough Regional Council) and the MAF Agricultural Compounds Unit/Pesticides Board.
9.2 FRM 408
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| Programme Goal: | To prove a new method for obtaining leachate samples from well below the root zone under large, representative, areas and continuously monitor N flux to groundwater from a newly developed irrigated dairy farm. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | Large-scale leachate flux measurement |
| Research Leader: | Dr John Bright |
Description:
To install and calibrate a linear lysimeter and commence long term monitoring of drainage and nutrient fluxes, particularly nitrogen, beyond the rootzone so that:
- the effects on leachate flux of a change in land use can be measured;
- the spatial variability of leachate flux under dairy farming can be measured; and
- the understanding of the transport and transformation processes that occur in the vadose zone 1 may be increased.
1 the unsaturated zone between the water table and the surface of the ground
9.3 FRM 409
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| Programme Goal: | To provide tested Best Management Guidelines for sustainable irrigation. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | Field testing of irrigation BMGs |
| Research Leader: | Mr Ian McIndoe |
Description:
The BMGs developed in the 1996/97 project will be implemented on three trial farms. The aim of this objective is to test the ability of the guidelines to demonstrate and improve the sustainability of water use on farms.
The results of the study will be compared to the indicators measured in the control group in the project "Field testing indicators of sustainable irrigation" funded separately through the MAF Policy AgNZ contract, and from this, the value of the BMGs for measuring and improving sustainable water use will be assessed.
9.4 FRM 410
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| Programme Goal: | To advance the sustainability of irrigated agriculture by providing information that will enable the design of irrigation application systems which enable modern irrigation management practices to be implemented. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | Designing for maximum efficiency |
| Research Leader: | Dr John Bright |
Description:
The sustainability of irrigated agriculture depends upon consistently achieving high irrigation application efficiency. High efficiency depends upon excellent design, as well as effective management. Much effort has been spent trying to improve irrigation management in New Zealand. Unfortunately the design of many irrigation systems inhibits changes to management that would result in higher efficiency. The recent survey of irrigation operators reveals that this is often true of spray irrigators, not just those using border-strip. Low irrigation efficiency threatens the renewal of water permits and thus the future of irrigated agriculture. By reviewing existing NZ data and recent international literature, this objective will take steps to defining criteria for irrigation designs which will enable the implementation of irrigation BMGs .
9.5 FRM 411
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| Programme Goal: | Quantify the effect of the "process" used for studying sustainable land management at Westview and Gwavas on community group members' beliefs about sustainability issues. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | Beliefs about sustainability |
| Research Leader: | Dr Alec Mackay |
Description:
There are three separate components to the objective.
- Measure any changes in the community group members' beliefs (and, to some extent, behaviours) about sustainability issues resulting from the "process" used for studying sustainable land management at Westview and Gwavas; using a questionnaire and open interviews in March 1988.
- Conduct a parallel survey in March 1998, in the form of mail out questionnaire, of randomly sampled farmers in the areas where the two groups operate but not directly associated with the project. This will allow a comparison to be made of the sustainability beliefs and behaviours of group members and non-members.
- Gauge, using a questionnaire, the impact of the public field days to be held in March 1998 on field day attendees.
The findings of the study will form a section in the final report of the sustainable land management project to be presented to funding agencies in June 1998.
9.6 SRC 608
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| Programme Goal: | To identify disseminate, through a farmer based approach to sustainable pastoral farming by matching enterprises with land capability and managing environmental impact, practical workable indicators of sustainable land management. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | A farmer based approach to sustainable pastoral farming |
| Research Leader: | Dr Alec Mackay |
Description:
To work with community groups on two contrasting MRDC Monitor Farms in the southern North Island to encourage the adoption of sustainable management systems on each property by:
- defining each land use unit based on land resource inventory data;
- establishing the potential productive capability and environmental constraints on each land unit to livestock farming;
- testing techniques for practical and cost effective measurement of environmental impacts of pastoral farming;
- comparing potential with current farm productivity and actual environmental impacts with acceptable environmental standards;
- establishing input/output (physical and economic) relationships for each land unit; and
- designing potential adjustments in current livestock enterprises to optimise the efficient and sustained use of farm resources.
Compile a report for each phase of the project by October 1997.
This programme is a continuous jointly funded programme which commenced on 1 January 1995 and will terminate on 30 June 1998. The direction of the programme was jointly set by MRDC, MAF, Manawatu/ Wanganui Regional Council and Hawkes Bay Regional Council. Additional funding providers were Landcare Research and Agriculture New Zealand.
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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