Currently in New Zealand there are very good examples of farmers, orchardists and viticulturists
Having been involved in agriculture as a farmer, orchardist and stock agent for the last 60 years, it is sad to see the current state of this once-great industry.
The real returns are less than they were 30 years ago.
Politically it had power, being third in line in the ministries, after the prime minister and minister of finance. It doesn't seem to matter any more but it is, combined, still our biggest overseas earner.
It seems strange that oxygen, food and water are the most essential requirements to sustain human life and yet the producers of food are struggling to make ends meet. This is not only a New Zealand problem but a worldwide one.
An old spraying contractor once said to me, "There are only really two jobs in New Zealand, farming and farming the farmer." It seems that he may have been right. With rising costs, constraints by global and local markets, increasing bureaucratic demands, the movement of foreign currency, the takeover of farms by offshore interests and the subsequent decline in the family farm (still the most productive and efficient), it seems that the farming of the farmer is making it harder for New Zealand farming to be profitable.
Given that, the current call for a doubling of production by 2025 is one hell of an ask.
All is not lost though. As we look to the future, and not that far, the most valuable natural resource in the world is not going to be gold, silver, oil or iron ore - it is going to be clean water and soils. This is well understood as we see movement around the world to secure them. We are one of the few countries in the world that still has those resources, and in abundance. Therein lies our advantage.
At this point in time most of our agricultural produce is controlled by the rise and fall of the commodity market, aptly illustrated by the current dairy situation. We produce exactly what the rest of the world does. There is no point of difference.
We have become price takers. Why don't we become price controllers? We have the soils, we have the water and we have the farmers. All we need to do is differentiate our products.
Currently the world is calling out for naturally sustainable, renewably produced food. We are beginning to realise that for health reasons and the harm that current practices are doing to our environment it is clear that change is needed.
We have to ask, what we are leaving our grandchildren (mokopuna)?
In agriculture today there is huge emphasis on quantity produced but very little on quality or what we leave behind.
Quality should be our point of difference.
Currently in New Zealand there are very good examples of farmers, orchardists and viticulturists who are producing quality products using natural, sustainable and renewable approaches to their business.
They are receiving a premium for it and showing good returns. These are the people who hold the knowledge science needed now. Mother Nature has always provided the blueprint. Perhaps it is time to go back and have a closer look.
There would have to be a big shift in the psyche of the industry. However, I am sure New Zealand farmers will see the benefits both environmentally and financially.
Other countries around the world are realising this and making concerted efforts to change. Should we not be doing the same? Are we going to be left behind?
As the renowned American soil scientist, Arden Anderson, said, if we were to achieve this we could become one of the richest countries in the world and in more ways that just financially. The spinoff of achieving this could also be the possibility of a strong new industry - ecotourism.
As the Native American quote on nature says: "When all the trees have been cut down, all the animals hunted, all the waters and soils are polluted, the air is no longer safe to breathe, only then will we discover that we cannot eat money".
-Colin Smyth is Napier-based and has been involved in agriculture as a farmer, orchardist and stock agent for the last 60 years.
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