Managing land use

The issue and impact

New Zealand's productive landscapes are changing dramatically:

• Irrigated dairying has rapidly expanded in Canterbury
• Viticulture has transformed Marlborough, Martinborough, Hawke's Bay and Otago. Onion growing has expanded from Pukekohe to Hauraki and Ohakune
• High value crops for niche markets (e.g. vegetable seed, medicinal, herb and flower crops) are being grown much more widely.

Only 54% of New Zealand's land can sustain agriculture and just 5% can support horticulture. We must use it wisely.

• Existing farm practices are being transferred to new land uses without research, which can lead to failed production and negative environmental impacts.
• Intensive stocking on our best soils is causing structural degradation, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and having adverse effects on water quality.
• When land is used in new ways, the impact on soils and the environment cannot be reliably predicted.

Research needs

• Link plant performance with environmental conditions and soil functioning to enable the sustainable production of new crops in new locations
• Develop management practices that produce low greenhouse gas emissions and do not leave residues that might compromise future land uses
• Identify niche locales and production strategies for crops with specific traits.