FAR has joined A Lighter Touch, the new, government backed, $27-million project aimed at developing new sustainable crop growing and protection methods to reduce chemical use and boost arable and horticulture production.
CEO Alison Stewart says finding new effective, efficient and sustainable weed, pest, and disease management options is a priority for the arable industry.
“We’re very pleased to be part of this programme. We will be focusing on the development of new agro-ecological crop protection systems for key arable crops, with development of a fully integrated crop protection programme for wheat being the first cab off the rank.”
Minister for Primary Industries, Damien O’Connor, says A Lighter Touch, which is funded through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures has its sights on delivering economic, environmental, and social outcomes, which are at the heart of SFF Futures funding.
“SFF Futures has provided the model and investment for the horticulture, arable, and wine industries to work together, enabling them to achieve much more, and in much a shorter time, than if each worked alone.”
More information
- A Lighter Touch will shift the focus from traditional crop protection by carrying out research, understanding crop protection products, and integrating biological and ecological processes into food production in New Zealand.
- MPI, through SFF Futures, is contributing $10,829,252 and industry is contributing $16,243,877 over the life of the project. The project will run for seven years.
- The project will help to overcome problems with achieving the necessary scale in the use of agro-ecological products, and the investment in capacity and infrastructure needed to commercialise biopesticides and biological control agents.
A Lighter Touch has three interrelated work streams:
Theme 1: Enduring Outcomes
Ensuring the successful long-term transition to agro-ecological crop protection and an ongoing focus on consumer demands, agro-ecology, use of novel biopesticides, adoption of biological control strategies, and the incorporation of the best crop protection products and technologies into industry-wide crop protection programmes. This will be achieved through strategic planning, research on consumer demands, telling our story, establishing structures to continue coordinating research, and leading effective change in crop protection long after the programme ends.
Theme 2: Agro-ecological Crop Protection
Achieving mainstream adoption of agro-ecological crop protection in New Zealand. This theme will incorporate biopesticides, biological control agents, and a range of new technologies into industry crop protection programmes. It will research barriers to upscaling production and adopting new crop protection products and biological agents. Focus groups and proof-of-concept sites will be established to demonstrate the effectiveness of agro-ecological crop protection programmes.
Theme 3: Transition Projects
Achieving effective resistance management through a new suite of crop protection product registrations, incorporated into crop protection programmes. This will support the transition to agro-ecological crop protection, and will position sectors to better meet market demands.