Southland 'prepared' for impending agricultural climate change commitments
Southland is poised to be a front-runner in the transition to a carbon-neutral agricultural sector, according to regional development agency Great South. In Southland, agriculture makes up about 16 per cent of the regions GDP but contributes about 69 per cent of the regions total greenhouse gas emissions. About three quarters of those emissions come from methane, which New Zealand alongside 105 other countries pledged to reduce by at least 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030 at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Great South strategic projects group manager Stephen Canny believes prior investment and research means Southland is better prepared than the rest of the country to adapt its agricultural sector in line with climate commitments. READ MORE: * Federated Farmers concerns on Southland climate report * Lewis Road to sell milk with added collagen, as demand for 'functional food' grows * Modest drop in greenhouse gases shows scale of challenge Weve invested heavily in understanding our growing environments, more so than any other region, he said. Becoming carbon-neutral did not mean mass land conversion needed to take place either, just 4.1 per cent of land currently used for livestock would need to be converted to horticulture in order to meet climate commitments. Introducing more plant-based proteins would create diversity in the economy and allow the agricultural sector to weather changes in commodity pricing, he said. More than 130 different crops had been grown and investigated with pulse crops, for example, being identified as a commercially viable alternative that could aid in the reduction of nitrogen gases in the atmosphere. Other research had mapped the carbon currently in Southland soils, which had allowed analysis into how farm systems could create vital sequestration pathways to preserve nutrients. We hear a lot about emissions from the primary sector, but there is actually a counter position to this too ... our pasture systems and ground cover often create vital carbon sinks, he said. The creation of New Zealand Functional Foods, which was formed with investment from Sir Stephen Tindalls investment company K1W1, was a prime example of Southland research leading the way in carbon-neutrality in agriculture, he said. This is a 60 million dollar investment. This hasnt ever been done anywhere in the world, Canny said. New Zealand Functional Foods is in the process of building the countrys first carbon-neutral plant-based milk processing plant, which is expected to begin producing oat milk from late 2022. New Zealand Function Foods director Monique Kelly said investing in markets such as oat milk early would future-proof New Zealand farm systems. Were one of the few countries where a big chunk of our emissions are coming from our food and fibre sector, and from an international perspective we need to address those, she said. From a future proofing of the farming sector and the food and fibre sector we need to look at different pathways to go into the future, including those that are plant-based. Canny wanted to see Southland food producers move away from marketing as a bulk commodity, and instead towards consumer-facing brands that had higher export value and would not be impacted by carbon tariffs. Theres been this narrative around feeding the world, thats an absolute joke, we dont have the ability to feed the world, we have the ability to produce high quality food and add value to that for discerning markets, he said.