Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures projects
Find out about Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) projects that have been funded so far.
Development of a farmers’ handbook for best practice snail farming in New Zealand
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $69,993
- Co-investment funding: $38,192
- Sectors: Alternative proteins, Meat
- Sub-sectors: Other meat products/research
- Project partners: Aroha Snails New Zealand Limited
- Regions: Nationwide
This project set up a pilot-scale snail farm to trial 2 types of conventional snail farming in a New Zealand context. The end product was a farmer’s handbook outlining best practice snail farming. This included commentary showing landowners how snail farming can be a financially viable, sustainable, and low input land-use alternative that has a reduced environmental impact.
Snail Farming Handbook New Zealand [PDF, 3.1 MB]
Development of a multiplex immunoassay for detection of various bovine diseases and pregnancy diagnosis
- Project start date:
- Project length: 2 years
- MPI funding: $404,040
- Co-investment funding: $606,060
- Sectors: Agritech, Dairy
- Sub-sectors: Other animal dairy products/research
- Project partners: Pictor Limited
- Regions: Nationwide
This project will develop an affordable multiplex assay (test) to detect Johne’s Disease and pregnancy from a single milk sample. The project aims to encourage dairy farmers to increase testing to ensure more proactive and sustainable management of disease on-farm.
Development of an autonomous low emissions tractor for trellised orchard systems
- Project start date:
- Project length: 3 years
- MPI funding: $622,360
- Co-investment funding: $945,520
- Sectors: Agritech, Horticulture
- Sub-sectors: Viticulture
- Project partners: The Smart Machine Company Limited
- Regions: Hawke's Bay, Tasman
This project aims to develop a hybrid autonomous vehicle for multi-implement use, in a horticultural trellis system growing environment. The deployment of autonomous vehicles will address some of the increasing labour pressures and improve the sustainability and productivity of operational tasks. This project will take the learnings from successful testing in the vineyard environment to further develop and deploy the technology in the pip fruit market.
Driverless, low emissions tractor in development – MPI media release
Digital Farm Environment Plan (dFEP)
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $490,480
- Co-investment funding: $330,000
- Sectors: Agritech
- Project partners: Trust Alliance
- Regions: Nationwide
The research project focused on developing a system to help farmers manage their farm data more effectively and efficiently. Based on feedback from extensive stakeholder engagement, a concept prototype of a digital enterprise farm wallet was created. This enables farmers to create trusted, verifiable farm environment planning data that can be easily shared with multiple third parties from a single source.
Digital farm environment planning to simplify admin for farmers – Government media release
Diverse pastures and relevance to New Zealand dairy farming
- Project start date:
- Project length: 7 years
- MPI funding: $2,286,371
- Co-investment funding: $1,027,210
- Sectors: Dairy, Regenerative agriculture
- Sub-sectors: Other animal dairy products/research
- Project partners: Dairy Trust Taranaki and DairyNZ
- Regions: Taranaki
This project will assess the economic and environmental impacts of adopting regenerative diverse pastures in a Taranaki dairy farming system. It will develop an evidence base to prove any links between diverse pastures and reduced nutrient loss, improved milk macro and micronutrients, increased soil water retention, soil carbon sequestration, and increased production and profits.
Diverse species pasture
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $137,200
- Co-investment funding: $80,800
- Sectors: Dairy
- Sub-sectors: Cow dairy products
- Project partners: Diverse Pasture Impact Group
- Regions: Nationwide
This project monitored the impact of highly diverse pasture on milk quality, soil root penetration, animal behaviour, pasture composition and soil organic matter/soil biology. The research took place at 5 different sites across 4 different dairy farming properties in North Otago and South Canterbury. Overall, the trial results suggested that pasture diversity, regardless of management actions, has a positive impact on soil biology, including soil carbon.
Dung Life
- Project start date:
- Project length: 5 years
- MPI funding: $91,500
- Co-investment funding: $42,000
- Sectors: Meat
- Sub-sectors: Other meat products/research
- Project partners: AgResearch, Project Parore, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Otago University
- Regions: Bay of Plenty
This project will assess the impact of dung fauna interactions on the environment, soil and animal health. This includes specifically looking at the interactions between dung beetles and earthworms, which has not been significantly studied in New Zealand. The aim is to understand these interactions throughout the seasons to enable confident investment by livestock farmers.
Durum Wheat Flour: A Flavour of the Wairarapa
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $81,000
- Co-investment funding: $54,000
- Sectors: Arable, Food and beverage products
- Sub-sectors: Other arable products
- Project partners: Foundation of Arable Research
- Regions: Wairarapa
This project will evaluate the potential to increase grower returns and resilience through durum wheat production. This includes identifying opportunities for New Zealand grown durum wheat in the domestic pasta market, evaluation of commercialisation options to maximise grower returns, and development of new durum wheat cultivars.
Media release: Putting a local twist on durum wheat
Summary report: Durum wheat flour – a flavour of the Wairarapa [PDF, 484 KB]
Early life application of methane inhibitor BOVAER 10 in dairy calves
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $182,659
- Co-investment funding: $1,079,341
- Sectors: Dairy
- Sub-sectors: Cow dairy products
- Project partners: DSM New Zealand Ltd
- Regions: Nationwide
This trial set out to determine the effects of feeding BOVAER to calves. Calves in the study received a BOVAER® 10 feed supplement in their first 100 days to see if it reduced methane emissions over their lifetime. A strong methane reduction effect (51%-59%) was measured while BOVAER® 10 was fed to the calves during the first 14 weeks of life, with no impact on calf liveweight or health. Animal performance was continually monitored for the nine months post supplementation, and no effects on health or performance were observed. There were several challenges with methane measurements during this period, and a significant (>10%) and lasting methane reduction was not observed. The researchers halted the study for three main reasons. Firstly, the 10% methane reduction threshold (9 months after the last day of supplementation) was not reached at the go/no go decision point. Secondly, the study had not been designed to capture methane reductions below the 10% threshold. Also, the integrity of the study was compromised due to the challenges with methane measurement. The current form of BOVAER benefits farms with supplemental feed. Royal DSM is researching and developing a slow-release form. This is likely to be more suitable for New Zealand pasture systems that don’t supplement feed as much.
Early life application of methane inhibitor BOVAER 10 in dairy calves - Public summary of trial results [PDF, 255 KB]
Eat New Zealand digital food experience platform
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $200,000
- Co-investment funding: $50,000
- Sectors: Agritech
- Project partners: Eat NZ
- Regions: Nationwide
Eat NZ undertook a 6-month feasibility study for a digital solution to tell New Zealand’s food story, both locally and internationally. The solution would connect travellers and buyers with actual and virtual food and food experiences. The study showed that it is financially and technically feasible, and identified and quantified the markets. Eat NZ is now seeking funding to make the project a reality.
Eco-logical textiles for disposable sanitary healthcare products using NZ coarse/strong wool
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $79,960
- Co-investment funding: $119,740
- Sectors: Natural fibres
- Sub-sectors: Animal-based fibres
- Project partners: Woolchemy NZ Ltd
- Regions: Wellington
Woolchemy has developed the world’s first wool-based sustainable materials for personal care products, including nappies. The outcomes from nappy trials conducted by several nappy manufacturers during the project proved that Woolchemy’s versatile proprietary materials: provide superior performance compared to equivalent synthetic materials; radically improve the environmental impact of hygiene products; and can be produced at scale via existing manufacturing technology.
Video: About Woolchemy and nappies (3.37)
Transcript
Electric horticulture sprayer
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $37,198
- Co-investment funding: $55,797
- Sectors: Agritech, Horticulture
- Sub-sectors: Other vegetables/vegetable products
- Project partners: Forest Lodge Orchard Ltd
- Regions: Otago
This project funded the construction, testing, delivery, and calibration of a fully electric spray unit to demonstrate spraying can be done completely electrically with an electric tractor. This will add to the body of evidence to demonstrate to farmers that electrification is possible and financially beneficial.
Eliminating Facial Eczema as a disease of livestock in New Zealand
- Project start date:
- Project length: 7 years
- MPI funding: $8,303,200
- Co-investment funding: $12,454,800
- Sectors: Dairy
- Sub-sectors: Other animal dairy products/research
- Project partners: Beef + Lamb NZ, PGG Wrightson Seeds, Livestock Improvement Corporation, Fonterra, CRV, NZ Deer Industry Association, Barenbrug, Cropmark, NZ Llama Association, Alpaca Association NZ, Maui Milk, Spring Sheep, DairyNZ
- Regions: Nationwide
This project aims to eliminate the impact of facial eczema on the health and wellbeing of livestock, and of livestock farmers, in New Zealand. Prevention solutions such as early detection and diagnosis, and mitigation and management options for both animals and pastures are key to the programme. Decision support tools will also be collaboratively developed with farmers and rural professionals.
Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem - Government media release
Embodied carbon engineering web application
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $205,000
- Co-investment funding: $444,444
- Sectors: Forestry
- Sub-sectors: Commercial forestry
- Project partners: V-Quest Limited
- Regions: Nationwide
This project aimed to facilitate the uptake of sustainable construction products and methodologies, and promote the local New Zealand timber industry. V-Quest has developed a set of tools that enable interactive data analysis to balance cost and embodied carbon, and opportunities to optimise design efficiency.
Enabling cost-effective nursery feeding and culture for New Zealand’s Greenshell mussel aquaculture industry
- Project start date:
- Project length: 3 years
- MPI funding: $419,000
- Co-investment funding: $621,000
- Sectors: Seafood/aquatic
- Sub-sectors: Farmed - marine shellfish
- Project partners: Marine Farming Association
- Regions: Nationwide
The project aims to develop a manufactured feed and nursey culture system for mussel spat through their most vulnerable stage. Increased spat survival could provide a solution to spat supply problems and help increase the sector’s productivity.
Government backing mussel spat project - Government media release
Enhancing biocontrol preparedness for brown marmorated stink bug
- Project start date:
- Project length: 3 years
- MPI funding: $806,700
- Co-investment funding: $486,840
- Sectors: Biosecurity
- Project partners: The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited
- Regions: Nationwide
This project will conduct a national survey to determine existing stink bug parasitoid species in New Zealand. This could reveal additional biocontrol options against brown marmorated stink bug if it entered the country.
Enhancing the wellbeing of people and the planet through sustainable wool products
- Project start date:
- Project length: 3 years
- MPI funding: $1,978,588
- Co-investment funding: $2,916,400
- Sectors: Natural fibres
- Sub-sectors: Animal-based fibres, Strong wool
- Project partners: Bremworth
- Regions: Nationwide
This project is supporting the research and development of natural and green chemistry-based alternatives to the few remaining synthetic components used in woollen carpets. It aims to spur demand for New Zealand strong wool and enhance our manufacturing competitiveness with high-value wool products that are better for the planet.
Ensuring a sustainable future pasture presence in NZ
- Project start date:
- Project length: 5 years
- MPI funding: $800,000
- Co-investment funding: $1,800,000
- Sectors: Arable
- Sub-sectors: Other arable products
- Project partners: Barenbrug NZ Limited
- Regions: Nationwide
This project aims to deliver new ryegrass pastures by developing a faster hybrid breeding system. The new pastures are expected to increase productivity by around 20%, providing farmers with options to reduce nitrate leaching, increase carbon sequestration, and/or improve water use efficiency.
Ensuring PremA17/Smitten® reaches its full potential
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $29,298
- Co-investment funding: $48,150
- Sectors: Horticulture
- Sub-sectors: Apples and pears
- Project partners: Seventeen Limited
- Regions: Hawke's Bay, Nationwide, Nelson
This project tested and identified the best on-orchard and post-harvest treatments to reduce internal browning of PremA17 apples when exposed to warmer export markets.
Envisi field trials
- Project start date:
- Completed date:
- MPI funding: $16,000
- Co-investment funding: $46,000
- Sectors: Horticulture
- Sub-sectors: Kiwifruit
- Project partners: Envisi Limited
- Regions: Auckland, Bay of Plenty
This project aimed to develop, manufacture and trial new agri-technology that would deter birds from budding kiwifruit using a novel patented polarised light system. The project did not produce the anticipated results.