Ag and hort forum tries to get off the farm
By Peter Kerr for sticK
(sticK - 6 October 2011 ) The intention is right, the understanding is apparent and the realisation is clear that our primary industries need to be less commodity, more market.
The question remains how.
A forum organised by the NZ Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science in Wellington reinforced that our economy is just as much as ever living off our ability to convert sunshine, soil and fresh air into protein products. (Indeed, David Lange was 'thanked' for suggesting back in the 1980s that agriculture was a sunset industry - perhaps changing the mindsets of a potential generation of would-be scientists for the sector!).
For sticK – science, technology, innovation & commercialisation KNOWLEDGE - is a new Wellington based news service concentrating on following the money from ideas to income. Contact editor Peter Kerr at peter.kerr055 @ gmail.com