- 3.1 Land;
- 3.2 Water;
- 3.3 Air;
- 3.4 Food;
- 3.5 Economic and Social Issues
- 3.6 Issues Related to Maori Land
3 Resource Management Issues in New Zealand Agriculture;
The major resource management issues in New Zealand agriculture have been identified so as to define policy responses needed to promote sustainable agriculture. The problems are discussed under four major headings; land (including soils, and plants and animals), water, air (including greenhouse gases), and food. This section also provides an overview of economic, social and cultural issues related to sustainable agriculture.
3.1 Land;
Certain areas of New Zealand are showing severe degradation and loss of topsoil from mass movement erosion. Other areas are vulnerable to the insidious effects of wind and water erosion. More analysis will be needed to ascertain the effects of agriculture on productivity and down-stream damage from soil erosion.
Problem areas include:
- significant land instability and erosion problems in sedimentary hill country in both the North and South Islands;
- ecological decline associated with land degradation, and invasion by pests (rabbits) and weeds (hieracium) in the South Island high country;
- increased potential for wind erosion and land degradation, as a result of drought through the east coasts of both the North and South Islands;
- acidification in hill country soils, which can reduce pasture growth in dry conditions; and
- physical degradation of soils through compaction in arable cropping areas such as Canterbury and the Manawatu.
Other problems include those relating to biodiversity and pests and diseases. Since human settlement, and particularly over the last 150 years, losses in biodiversity have occurred primarily as a result of human activity: the direct destruction of natural habitats, hunting, the introduction of predators and competitors, and pollution. As a user of natural resources, agriculture has a responsibility to help protect biodiversity and to keep options open to use genetic diversity for future animal and plant breeding.
The protection of the New Zealand environment from imported and endemic weeds, pests and diseases is a critical issue in sustaining agriculture. The introduction or an outbreak of pests poses significant risks. The need to control pesticides for environmental reasons must take into account the protection they provide.
3.2 Water;
Agriculture has a wide range of impacts on water resources. While it is not easy to quantify these impacts, resource policy managers at regional councils have ranked agriculture at the top of a list of activities which negatively affect water quality. Irrigation affects in-stream values and underground aquifers.
Problem areas include:
- eutrophication of lakes and rivers resulting from nutrient run-off, and associated incursion of aquatic weeds;
- sedimentation of streams and rivers, estuaries and coastal margins;
- alteration of the physical characteristics of streams, rivers and lakes due to drainage, removal of streamside vegetation and livestock entering waterways;
- high demand for water in dry regions, especially in horticultural areas;
- faecal contamination of rivers and estuaries from livestock operations;
- effluent discharges from agricultural processing industries; and
- some cases of nitrates and pesticide residues in groundwater.
3.3 Air;
There are limited examples of air pollution which may affect agricultural performance. More significantly, there are a number of agricultural practices and processing industries which discharge contaminants into the atmosphere, including crop spraying, burning, feedlots, and factory farms (eg, pigs, poultry, mushrooms).
The agricultural sector also contributes to the cumulation of greenhouse gases. Pastoral agriculture, in particular, contributes to the cumulation of methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere, and agricultural transport and machinery contributes its share of carbon dioxide emissions. The Government has an interim target aiming for a 20% reduction in 1990 levels of carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2000, but does not have a policy on the other two gases.
As evidence of these gases and their effects become more clearly defined, containment policies may have to be introduced.
3.4 Food;
Agricultural practices affect food quality and, ultimately, the health of consumers. Some plant and animal diseases can have adverse effects on people when eaten with food. Agricultural chemicals and animal remedies may leave residues that may be harmful to susceptible individuals or harmful when ingested in sufficient quantities. Sustainable agricultural systems must continue to provide food products that are safe for domestic and overseas consumers.
3.5 Economic and Social Issues
Ecological problems can be exacerbated by financial pressures which reduce the ability of managers to respond.
In response to current financial pressures, some farmers have increased stock numbers to maintain profitability and short term financial viability while others have reduced fertiliser applications with consequent reductions in soil nutrient levels. These short term actions result in further pressure on the sustainability of soil resources. Harder hill country in the North Island has been in "fertiliser deficit" since the mid-1980s with the result that productivity is rapidly declining.
Subsidy support to soil conservation and land management activities has been substantially reduced in recent years. Low farm incomes and reduced subsidies have resulted in a substantial reduction in on-farm soil conservation throughout much of the country. While most New Zealand farmers have a strong stewardship ethic and want to carry out sustainable management of the resources within their control, financial pressures can prevent this from happening.
The problem extends beyond individual boundaries and threatens the viability of rural communities. These communities are in turn critical to sustainable agriculture; agricultural production cannot be sustained without an adequate human resource. The retention of people in rural areas relies as much on the social environment as on financial considerations. Retaining fair and equitable access to social services is a key issue.
Local communities are already taking a much greater role in resource and pest management. However, the ability of communities and individuals to respond to the need for change are limited. Impediments may include:
- not enough people in the community accept the need for change;
- lack of access to relevant and affordable information;
- inadequate financial resources; and
- legal barriers, such as survey and other costs associated with re-defining property boundaries, where these costs are high in relation to low land values.
There have been a number of positive outcomes associated with the removal of assistance to agriculture, and a greater reliance on market mechanisms. These include:
- the transfer of land resources to alternative uses which are more sustainable, from both a financial and an ecological perspective, particularly forestry;
- a substantial reduction in livestock numbers with a subsequent reduction in total grazing pressure; and
- a decline in the level of dissolved nutrients entering water bodies, associated with a reduction in the level of fertiliser applications.
As the profitability of agriculture improves, the challenge will be to manage the needed re-investment in a way that maintains or enhances the natural resource base.
3.6 Issues Related to Maori Land
While most problems and challenges discussed above apply equally to Maori and their land, there are other issues unique to Maori land that must be addressed when developing initiatives for sustainable agriculture.
To the tangata whenua, land has both a spiritual and social value apart from economic considerations. Land provides the basis for social unity, and it provides the whanau (family) with their turangawaewae, or symbolic "place to stand", as it has done for generations.
Under the current multiple land ownership system, many Maori may have interests in a given block of land, even though they may not be physically living on it. This can give rise to a variety of management difficulties in the areas of decision making and obtaining financing. Thus, social and cultural needs will affect land management planning as well as economic considerations. Policies for sustainable agriculture should recognise this special relationship.
Consultation with iwi is therefore necessary to see that the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori cultural views are taken into account when resource management decisions are made. This is made clear in the First Schedule to the Resource Management Act 1991, which requires local authorities to consult with tangata whenua who may be affected by a proposed policy or plan.
MAF is also committed to ensuring that Maori have an opportunity to influence the decisions that affect their land and water resources, and will consult with iwi accordingly.
Contact for Enquiries
MAF Information Services
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: +64 4 894 0721
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