Unique farms require a unique approach

The response to national environmental issues like freshwater and climate change requires an individualised approach tailored to every unique farm to achieve the overall desired outcomes. Dave Lucock commends the proposed certified farm plans of the new freshwater regulations that would do exactly that.

Dave undertaking a weed survey for ARGOS

The Agriculture Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) compared over 100 farms and orchards over a 12-year period in terms of ecological, economic and social outcomes. The land managers generously gave their time (and properties) so that we could understand the different agriculture systems in a truly transdisciplinary sense. The project produced a wealth of information, but the one thing that really stood out for me was that every farm or orchard was truly unique. Even if they appeared to be the same from the road there were social, economic and even ecological differences when you went looking a bit closer.

The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 released last year brings certified farm plans to the fore.

Discussions behind the scenes to work out the structure and implementation of the new certified farm plans have been very busy and are yet to be finalised. However, there are a couple of general themes emerging in that there will be an initial risk assessment broken into two parts:

Inherent risk – Certain slopes have a greater inherent risk of erosion than others. Farmer discussions and land use capability mapping are a great way of getting an understanding of this.

Managerial risk – Greater land use intensity can have a greater environmental impact than extensive land use. Once again farmer discussions are the way forward.

The risk assessment will be undertaken in the context of the catchment it sits within. Therefore, understanding the environmental risks at the catchment level will be essential to developing a certified farm plan that aligns with these. The advantage of the certified farm plan approach is that it focuses on each farm as a unique identity, as opposed to trying to fit a particular farm system within a set of rules that don’t quite align. This should make it a far more constructive process as opposed to ticking a box. The key to success is working with farmers as opposed to forcing it upon them.

Author: Dave Lucock