Our soil, our future
New Zealand and its primary production sectors have flourished because
good science and good farm management have made the most of our relatively
benign climate and resilient soils. We are world leaders in pastoral farming
systems. Until relatively recently, these systems were geared to maximising
production, which equated to immediate profit, regardless of long-term
sustainability. Now, there is far greater awareness that we must moderate
or significantly change some current farming practices in order to maintain
the long-term health and usefulness of our soils, landscapes and waterways.
Robust on-going research is needed to develop sustainable best practices
to take the New Zealand rural sector into the future.
In 2002, national research into soil science and land management sustained a major blow when the funding was cut by $8 million. However, after vocal lobbying from primary producers, and realisation by Government that New Zealand risked losing its soil science skills, a third of that funding was reinstated-specifically to support the Sustainable Land Use Research Initiative (SLURI), which involves Manaaki Whenua, AgResearch, Crop&Food Research and HortResearch. Only 54% of New Zealand's land can sustain agriculture and just 5% can support horticulture. The combined SLURI expertise will help ensure we develop the capabilities to use this land wisely.
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| John Dando taking soil core samples. Image - Craig Ross |
In consultation with an extensive network of stakeholders from across the primary production industry, researchers from the four CRIs determined soil science priorities over the next couple of decades. These are the knowledge and systems to:
- maintain healthy soil function under land-use intensification with associated increases in irrigation, fertilisers, agrichemicals, and stock densities
- develop management practices that produce low greenhouse gas emissions and do not leave residues that might compromise future land uses
- assign economic value to soils and water to underpin rational decisions about land-use and resource allocation
- match land uses to the capabilities of soils, the local environment and the distribution of resources across the landscape, to support equitable allocation of resources and sustainable coexistence of land uses
- assess the potential for new land uses on soils not formerly used for these purposes, and identify niche locales and production strategies for crops with specific traits
- sustain existing land uses in the face of increasing climate variability
- improve our understanding of enterprise and sector behaviours and market forces in relation to land use, and integrate this with existing biophysical models, GIS and remote-sensing capabilities.
Future-looking stakeholder consultation helped focus research on the practical tools and practicable systems that are needed for the long-term economic, environmental and social sustainability of the rural sector in a global economy. By drawing on the research capability from four CRIs, SLURI spans the primary sectors' needs, covers all aspects of soil and land management, and delves deep into the respective CRI's expertise. SLURI will help ensure New Zealand remains a world leader in farm management systems throughout the twenty-first century.
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Talk to us |
Maggie Lawton
Email 
Ph (09) 574 4100 |
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On the web |
| www.sluri.org.nz | |
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Funding |
| FRST |