Pictured Professor Claire Massey with the cover of The New Zealand Land and Food Annual.
A new book from the Massey University Press is the first edition of many that will examine and analyse the agrifood and agribusiness landscape in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Land & Food Annual 2016 – Why waste a good crisis? is a solution-focused analysis of the issues currently facing New Zealand agribusiness, and a glimpse into the issues that will affect the country in the future. The book was launched at an event as part of Fieldays at the Radio Sport Lounge at FMG Stadium Waikato on Thursday.
The book contains chapters dervied from the collective knowledge of 26 expert contributors from a spectrum of organisations and viewpoints. Authors come from tertiary institutions like Massey University, manufacturers including The New Zealand Merino Company, and many more industry leaders in science, farming, banking, research and environmental protection.
Book editor and Massey University director of agrifood Professor Claire Massey says, “the book is as useful for an everyday New Zealander as it is for a policymaker, researcher or organisation”.
“The subjects covered are complex and they concern not only the technical problems, but also the interpersonal problems of a community in crisis. When we talk about the management of resources we cannot forget the most important – the people.
“Initially, we were nervous about the word ‘crisis’ and all it carries with it, but the reality is that there are people in crisis in this country and the problems they face are our problems,” she says.
Chapters explore issues of foreign ownership, dairy prices, worldwide consumer demand, iwi, food fraud, environmental sustainability, advances in technology, exports, manufacturing, and much more.
“I encourage people to read the chapters on subjects that they know, but also on those they know nothing about. As I found myself, each chapter has something to offer and much can be gained from a deeper understanding of familiar subjects, but also of those in which we had yet to consider.”
Professor Ralph Sims of the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, whose chapter discusses changes to farm management practices, gave a sobering presentation on the impact of greenhouses gases and climate change.
Massey University Press Publisher Nicola Legat says: “this book is a vessel for thought-leadership and is a prime example of the kind of high-quality publications that the university’s publishing division was established for. In the year of its first edition, I look forward to the many more to come.”
Professor Claire Massey leads the University’s agrifood strategy and provides a focus for the activities that occur across the University’s academic units and service lines. She also heads Te Puna Whakatipu, which leads and supports university-level projects in agriculture and food.
The book will be published annually and launched each year around the Mystery Creek Fieldays. To find out how to purchase the book, visit the website.