Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures projects
Find out about Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) projects that have been funded so far.
Your search returned 337 projects
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- Project start date:
- Project length: 2 years
- MPI funding: $80,000
- Co-investment funding: $120,000
- Sectors: Horticulture
- Sub-sectors: Kiwifruit
- Project partners: Victoria Cottages Limited trading as BA Pumps and Sprayers
- Regions: Nationwide
This project will combine technologies to design, build and test a new sprayer system for kiwifruit. This concept is expected to allow more targeted spraying and reduce spray losses to soil and air.
A Lighter Touch
- Project start date:
- Project length: 7 years
- MPI funding: $10,829,339
- Co-investment funding: $16,243,877
- Sectors: Horticulture
- Sub-sectors: Apples and pears, Viticulture
- Project partners: Horticulture New Zealand, with affiliated programme participants
- Regions: Nationwide
‘A Lighter Touch’ brings the horticulture, wine, and arable sectors together to find ways to meet consumer demands for food produced through more sustainable pest management practices. It seeks to shift the focus away from traditional crop protection, and integrate biological and ecological processes into food production in New Zealand.
Flowering plants may hold key to pesticide reduction on citrus orchards – MPI media release
Govt backing horticulture to succeed – Beehive
A Lighter Touch mid-term programme review [PDF, 1.3 MB]
April to June 2024: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 929 KB]
January to March 2024: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 609 KB]
October to December 2023: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 410 KB]
July to September 2023: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 2.4 MB]
April to June 2023: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 1.2 MB]
January to March 2023: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 322 KB]
October to December 2022: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 267 KB]
April to June 2022: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 281 KB]
January to March 2022: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 289 KB]
July to September 2021: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 266 KB]
April to June 2021: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 270 KB]
January to March 2021: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 214 KB]
October to December 2020: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 435 KB]
July to September 2020: A Lighter Touch progress report [PDF, 317 KB]
NZ's crop production is changing for the better – A Lighter Touch
A novel approach to probiotics for production animals
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $24,000
- Co-investment funding: $41,900
- Sectors: Dairy
- Sub-sectors: Other animal dairy products/research
- Project partners: BioBrew
- Regions: Nationwide
BioBrew aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of probiotics for lambing to provide farmers with a means to reduce the use of anthelmintics (antiparasitic drugs), while maintaining production and profitability.
A scoping study of x-ray technology as a potential phytosanitary treatment for New Zealand fresh produce exports
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $96,832
- Co-investment funding: $121,168
- Sectors: Agritech, Horticulture
- Sub-sectors: Apples and pears
- Project partners: Apples and Pears
- Regions: Nationwide
The horticulture industry investigated the potential use of x-ray technology for treating fruit and vegetables as a pest control treatment. The treatment is increasingly used globally and could provide new export opportunities for New Zealand. The report details fruit and vegetables suitable for x-ray treatment and the feasibility of building a facility in New Zealand based on potential use.
A strategy for diversified arable cropping as a valuable land-use
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $29,600
- Co-investment funding: $44,650
- Sectors: Arable
- Sub-sectors: Forage
- Project partners: Foundation for Arable Research
- Regions: Nationwide
The project developed an arable sector strategy to identify specific opportunities to support the transition from the current commodity focused industry. This includes a whole of value chain approach to enhance domestic and export growth.
The next steps are to hold workshops in 2024 to confirm priorities and actions for arable sector growth. These will involve arable growers, arable sector industry bodies, pan-primary sector interests, food manufacturers and food product innovators.
Accelerated breeding of healthy calves from in vitro produced embryos
- Project start date:
- Project length: 4 years
- MPI funding: $1,590,020
- Co-investment funding: $2,385,268
- Sectors: Dairy
- Sub-sectors: Other animal dairy products/research
- Project partners: Animal Breeding Services Ltd
- Regions: Nationwide
Working in partnership with CRV-Genomics, Bellevue Enterprises Ltd and AgResearch, Animal Breeding Services Ltd will address the issue of Large Offspring Syndrome in dairy cattle, which is caused by in-vitro embryo production. The project will find a way to measure gene expression during embryo in-vitro culture (IVC) and investigate IVC mediums that improve embryo transfer and calf development.
Accelerated scale-up of an Atkins Ranch Savory Institute Producer Group
- Project start date:
- Project length: 2 years
- MPI funding: $142,480
- Co-investment funding: $213,720
- Sectors: Meat, Regenerative agriculture
- Sub-sectors: Other meat products/research
- Project partners: Lean Meats Limited
- Regions: Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatū-Whanganui, Northland, Taranaki, Waikato, Wairarapa, Wellington
This is a farmer extension and engagement-focused project led by Atkins Ranch. It will build awareness of the challenges and opportunities surrounding regenerative agriculture verification across the sheep and beef sector. The project will assist in promoting and supporting the regenerative production of lamb meat and by-products, and deliver premiums to farmers by securing high-value contracts in overseas markets.
New project to help farmers gain regenerative agriculture certification – MPI media release
Accelerating growth of Tai Tokerau’s food and beverage manufacturing sector
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $86,720
- Co-investment funding: $224,200
- Sectors: Food and beverage products, Horticulture
- Project partners: Northland Inc, Far North Holdings Limited
- Regions: Northland
The project completed a feasibility study into establishing a shared food and beverage manufacturing facility in Te Tai Tokerau. The study found strong community and industry demand for processes such as juicing, freeze-drying, powdering and extraction. The next steps are finalising the draft business plan to attract investment for building the facility at Ngawha I&E Park.
Accelerating New Zealand medicinal cannabis industry
- Project start date:
- Project length: 3 years
- MPI funding: $761,136
- Co-investment funding: $1,141,704
- Sectors: Nutraceuticals/medical
- Project partners: Greenlab
- Regions: Nationwide
This project will establish optimum cultivation practices for growing New Zealand-sourced strains of medicinal cannabis in a controlled environment. This information will enable licensed growers to consistently produce cannabis flowers with specific medicinal compounds.
Actioning the New Zealand Honey Strategy – stage 1
- Project start date:
- Project length: 2 years
- MPI funding: $309,000
- Co-investment funding: $181,000
- Sectors: Apiculture
- Project partners: Apiculture New Zealand Incorporated
- Regions: Nationwide
This project will establish a work programme to act on the recommendations made in the sector plan Thriving Together: Futureproofing New Zealand Apiculture 2024-2030, which supports a goal of doubling New Zealand’s honey export value by 2030. The project aims to create stability for the industry, with a clear pathway for independent growth and investment.
New Zealand Honey Strategy resets industry ambitions for a strong future – Apiculture New Zealand
Advanced NZ lignin commercialisation
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $442,692
- Co-investment funding: $664,038
- Sectors: Forestry
- Sub-sectors: Other forestry products/research
- Project partners: Futurity Bio Ventures Ltd
- Regions: Bay of Plenty, Waikato
This project aimed to commercially validate the technology to produce advanced lignin raw materials derived from the by-product of the wood pulping process (black liquor). Futurity has advanced the understanding of how New Zealand lignin from radiata pine can be commercially competitive and provide low-carbon alternatives to petrochemicals. Increasing the scale of production of lignin toward pilot scale has demonstrated that this is technically possible.
Advancing mussel restoration for the Top of the South Island
- Project start date:
- Project length: 2 years
- MPI funding: $667,500
- Co-investment funding: $490,000
- Sectors: Seafood/aquatic
- Sub-sectors: Farmed - marine shellfish
- Project partners: Marine Farming Association Incorporated
- Regions: Marlborough, Nelson
This project builds on previous knowledge and sees restoration efforts extended into two new regions. It focuses on restoring wild mussel beds, understanding spat recruitment and using recycled shells to create habitats.
Advancing soil health on-farm and understanding impacts on dairy farm economic and environmental performance
- Project start date:
- Project length: 5 years
- MPI funding: $2,815,500
- Co-investment funding: $1,040,400
- Sectors: Dairy, Regenerative agriculture
- Sub-sectors: Other animal dairy products/research
- Project partners: Synlait Milk Ltd, Danone Nutricia NZ Ltd
- Regions: Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Waikato
Synlait and Danone are partnering with AgResearch to benchmark and optimise soil health across 10 of their supplier farms. Regenerative practices such as hyper diverse pastures and limits on synthetic N fertilisers will be compared with conventional practices to build evidence on the impact of regenerative farming on soil health in New Zealand. The farms wider financial and environmental performance will also be evaluated.
Regenerative agriculture research receives Government boost – Beehive
Advisory support for agricultural and horticultural science in schools
- Project start date:
- Project length: 5 years
- MPI funding: $1,600,000
- Co-investment funding: $400,000
- Sectors: Dairy, Horticulture, Meat, Sector resilience
- Project partners: Waikato Anglican College Trust
- Regions: Nationwide
This project will increase support for agriculture and horticulture science teachers in secondary schools. It will develop a support network of one full-time adviser and a support person based at St Paul’s Collegiate, and up to 16 part-time regionally based advisers. The network will provide support to teachers, create resources, and provide links to local primary industry partners.
Boost for agricultural and horticultural science in schools – Beehive
AGR96X grass grub and manuka beetle biopesticide
- Project start date:
- Project length: 3 years
- MPI funding: $345,000
- Co-investment funding: $510,000
- Sectors: Arable, Horticulture
- Project partners: Grasslanz Technology Limited
- Regions: Nationwide
The project seeks to further the development of AGR96X, a biopesticide (bacterium) effective against grass grub and manuka beetle. It aims to extend its stability under both refrigeration and ambient condition and develop different and potentially better ways to use this biopesticide in a wider range of farm systems.
Ahikā Kai Waiwera
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $125,000
- Co-investment funding: $25,000
- Sectors: Māori agribusiness, Regenerative agriculture
- Project partners: Ahikā Kai Wairewa
- Regions: Canterbury
Ahikā Kai Wairewa is a Wairewa marae initiative to connect landowners within our takiwā with opportunities to generate income and ensure food security through regenerative agriculture. The project enables whānau to connect with each other and their culture. It is a pathway to health and self-determination. The project utilises a māra as the platform for engagement and capacity building and an incubator for other whenua-based opportunities.
Aotea Kiwifruit Collective
- Project start date:
- Project length: 2 years
- MPI funding: $450,450
- Co-investment funding: $90,090
- Sectors: Horticulture, Māori agribusiness
- Sub-sectors: Kiwifruit
- Project partners: Aotea Kiwifruit Collective
- Regions: Taranaki
This project aims to support a cluster of Māori landowners in Aotea/Taranaki region to advance work to establish kiwifruit orchards, including consultation with landowners, orchard design plans and developing investment memoranda. The project follows a prior phase 1 MABx project to understand the suitability of the whenua to sustain productive and viable kiwifruit operations.
Ātihau-Whanganui research and innovation project
- Project start date:
- Project length: 3 years
- MPI funding: $433,920
- Co-investment funding: $301,280
- Sectors: Apiculture, Māori agribusiness
- Sub-sectors: Other apiculture products (wax/pollen products)
- Project partners: Ātihau-Whanganui Inc
- Regions: Manawatū-Whanganui
The project will enable Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporated to apply a Māori lens and a focus on sustainability to inform their apiculture, farming practices and subsequent market supply. The project includes mātauranga Māori farming research, mānuka management research and market analysis.
Automated identification and measurement of legally released fish
- Project start date:
- Project length: 2 years
- MPI funding: $308,902
- Co-investment funding: $77,844
- Sectors: Agritech, Seafood/aquatic
- Sub-sectors: Other fisheries research - data, Wild - inshore fisheries
- Project partners: Fisheries Inshore New Zealand
- Regions: Nationwide
This project will develop a tool that combines cameras, machine learning and artificial intelligence to automatically measure fish released at sea. This will help to improve catch reporting and support a better understanding of the size composition of fish stocks, as well as improving the overall health of fish stocks.
Automating Shellfish Harvest Assessments to Increase Yield
- Project start date:
- Project length: 2 years
- MPI funding: $360,000
- Co-investment funding: $540,000
- Sectors: Seafood/aquatic
- Sub-sectors: Farmed - marine shellfish
- Project partners: Harvest Hub Limited, Nelson AI Institute, MacLab
- Regions: Nelson
This project aims to build an artificial intelligence platform that will enable marine farmers to consistently predict shellfish meat yield. Accurate harvest yield assessments have the potential to significantly increase production value. This would result in economic gains and encourage further investment in this highly sustainable industry.