Organic Farmer Extension Programme

Credit: Hans Herzog Estate

OANZ is on a mission to grow the Organic Sector through Organic Extension.

From March to September 2022, an OANZ Sector Work Group met fortnightly via Zoom to establish a draft plan to create a specific organic farmer extension programme, the purpose of the group was to help define what a successful programme would look like. The project objectives for the extension programme included:

  • Improving the mental health of organic farmers who have felt marginalised

  • Assist current and potential organic farmers in increasing their effectiveness and knowledge of organics

  • Help move all farmers away from synthetic nitrogen, pesticides and herbicides and towards practices that better work with nature and sequester more carbon

WHAT IS EXTENSION?

Extension is about working with people in communities to facilitate change in a complex social, economical, or technical environment.

Organic Extension is achieved by helping farmers and producers access knowledge, build confidence and support in the implementation of organic techniques and strategies.

PURPOSE OF PROJECT

Farmers participating in the 2021 regional strategy workshops identified the need to better connect with other farmers, drawing on existing knowledge, experience and ideas within the Organic Sector.

By collaborating with the agricultural sector to innovate and inspire, we can support farmers to transition to climate-friendly farming practices. Led by OANZ, there is an opportunity to create an organic programme focusing on solutions specific to organic agriculture. A specific organic programme will focuses on growing the Organic Sector. Desired outcomes for the programme include:

  1. Farmers are educated and able to communicate the benefits of organic production, enticing a new generation of farmers

  2. Increased knowledge transfer by farm advisors and farmers

  3. Regenerative agriculture and organics are more aligned and collaborative

  4. Practical mentoring, discussion groups and organic ambassadors

  5. Pathways created to grow the next generations of organic producers and farmers

  6. Implementation and uptake of Hua Parakore is supported

  7. Apply mātauranga Māori to support the distinctiveness of Māori participation in organics

  8. Increased organic production supply to meet global demand

So how do we get from the present to our future goal of establishing this organic farmer extension programme, firstly we acknowledge where we want to be by setting some goals:

  • A connected, knowledgeable organic sector that increases organic supply to meet global demand.

    • A new generation of organic producers are enticed to join the Sector

    • Productivity & profitability for a healthy organic sector. Ensure that producers are supported in the work that they’re doing

    • All primary producers are supported to move away from synthetic fertilisers, harmful pesticides and herbicides

    • The Organic Sector is a spark that helps inspire other parts of the primary industries to be more sustainable so that many solutions in the organic sector can be used more widely

    • Organic producers can better communicate the benefits of organic production

    • Improve the mental health of organic farmers. Healthy people make a healthy sector. Connectivity is critical. We are building bridges and making people feel that they’re not alone.

    • Increased effectiveness and knowledge in the Organic Sector

    • Alignment of regenerative agriculture & organics

CREATING AN ORGANIC FARMER EXTENSION PROGRAMME - THE STRATEGY:

  1. Develop and raise awareness around the value proposition for organics

    How can we encourage other farmers/growers to consider organics? A few possibilities include the promotion of the economic, environmental, and social benefits associated with organics, comparative case studies of organic production, and well defined communication strategies.

  2. Practical mentoring opportunities established

    Based on feedback for the design of the organic extension programme, real-world interactions between established organic farmers and new producers is essential. Mentoring aligns with that, and experience has shown its positive impacts.

  3. Organic discussion groups enabled

    These groups help share experiences; they recognise that farmers learn from other farmers. Issues and opportunities can be freely discussed in a trusting environment established in a well-facilitated discussion group.

  4. Organic ambassador network established

    These can include exemplary farmers and growers who can share their experience and results from their organic farming enterprise and highlight the benefits associated with organic farming.

  5. Draw on diverse talents to increase knowledge transfer in the Organic Sector

    Recognise and utilise the wide range of experience available in the Sector, for example, from organic farmers/growers, industry representatives and researchers/extension agents.

  6. Develop processes to share existing resources more widely

  7. Foster and highlight the natural links between organic and regenerative production

    Highlight the established pathway to market that organic certification provides from adopting regenerative/organic practices and the positive environmental impacts associated with these.

  8. Implementation and uptake of Hua Parakore supported

    Link with the initiatives that the Māori Organic sector organisation Te Waka Kai Ora are working on, including the Hua Parakore organic vision – which establishes a Māori worldview with the organic worldview.

Where to next?

Plan & Prioritise.

  • OANZ has developed an Extension Programme Working Group, with an additional OANZ Board Advisory Group to oversee the pan-Sector extension planning and application processes. The first step is to identify first-phase funding options, including:

    • Confirm Participation and identify those organisations and groups that want to collaborate

    • Clarify desired roles and relationships in an Extension programme

    • Determine needs across sectors through additional engagement

    • Support farmers to align with Government policy on GHG, water quality and biodiversity expectations

  • 1. Identify potential extension programme funding options and their investment conditions

    2. Clarify the resource needs for the extension programme development and a funding application

    3. Obtain the resources/commitment for facilitating the above

  • 1.Obtain feedback from the Group to identify generic extension as well as sector specific extension needs

    2. Collaboratively design the extension programme

    3.Facilitate wider sector consultation on draft extension programme plan

    4.Develop the funding proposal for the delivery of the programme

Organics Aotearoa New Zealand would like to acknowledge and thank the many people across the Organic Sector who participated and gave time and energy to this action group, specifically both Chairs, Christina Robinson, Zespri International and Jon Manhire, AgriBusiness Group and to every volunteer who participated in the action group meetings. For more information please download the full report below or to get involved in the next stage please contact us via the link below.