The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) has struck a new partnership with its equivalent levy body in the UK to share knowledge and resources to benefit arable growers on both sides of the globe.
During a recent trip to the UK, FAR CEO Alison Stewart, visited the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to identify areas of common interest and finalise a collaboration agreement.
She met with Susannah Bolton, Knowledge Exchange Director at AHDB to gain an overview of AHDB’s research and knowledge exchange programmes, with a particular focus on benchmarking, soil health, integrated pest management (IPM), skills and the environment. Not surprisingly, she found the two organisations have a lot in common.
“We are both levy funded and we both work really hard to deliver practical knowledge and tools to help our growers make better decisions and improve their performance. UK and New Zealand growers face similar technical and financial challenges, so it makes sense for FAR and AHDB to combine our efforts and work together on mutually beneficial issues.
“I’m really pleased to have formalised our relationship, and, having identified some areas of potential collaboration, I look forward to developing a mutually-beneficial portfolio of activities and initiatives over the next three to five years.
“In the first year, a programme of research co-funded by the two organisations will look at knowledge exchange, soil quality benchmarking, IPM and farm productivity benchmarking. The work will be overseen by a management steering group, which will agree all projects and allocate budget.”
Susannah Bolton, Knowledge Exchange Director at AHDB, says she is delighted to have entered into this agreement.
“This marks the start of a coordinated programme of research and knowledge exchange to tackle issues common to our growers in the UK and their counterparts on the other side of the world. There is a huge amount of enthusiasm and momentum behind this collaboration and we look forward to reaping the benefits of working closely with the FAR team in the years to come to provide growers with innovative solutions to a range of mutual challenges.”
The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is an applied research and information transfer organisation responsible primarily to New Zealand arable growers.