Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Last year at COP23 New Zealand convened a half-day event called “precision technology for agriculture development: investing in the triple win”. We were grateful for the support of the Fijian COP presidency for that event. I’ll talk about some key take-homes from the event and describe a Pacific case study.
For those who don’t know about the triple win for sustainable agriculture, it’s the idea that increased agriculture productivity (or improved efficiency) builds resilience (through improved livelihoods, health and well-being) while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
We know that to meet the Paris Agreement temperature goal every sector will need to be part of the solution: the triple win is about growing more food without growing emissions.
Our event at COP23 showed how precision agriculture uses technology to increase agricultural productivity while providing other benefits like reduced input costs, lower, greenhouse gas emissions, and a better lifestyle.
I think there’s a perception that precision technology is a sophisticated solution for large-scale farming in developed countries only. It’s not. It can be equally applied to agriculture at small scale in developing countries. Precision technology has a wide range of applications, from basic gadgets through to sophisticated machinery. The trick is ensuring appropriate technology for the country’s agriculture system.
The technologies need not be costly, complex, or hard to obtain. They can be as simple as an app on a mobile phone or new techniques to minimise waste. Precision technologies can be scaled in size, cost and sophistication for use by small holders through to large commercial operations.
So let me tell you about an example of using precision technology that we heard about at our COP event last year. There’s a company in Papua New Guinea called NKW Agriculture Fresh which has changed smallholder farming life for 1200 farmers through the use of a simple, low-cost cropping planning application on a handheld device.
The problem in this area was in getting the right amount of supply into the local market at the right time. There needed to be a continual, steady supply of vegetables, but sometimes a whole crop would be harvested at once, and it couldn’t all be sold, leading to waste and loss of income.
NKW Fresh looked at integrated farm software, but found it too complex and too expensive. So they developed a simple application that can run on any kind of device, without needing an internet connection. Then they hired some agriculture graduates to work as field extension officers in the local communities.
The field officers go to the small holdings and collect data showing crop type, area sown, expected yield and estimated harvest dates. They also collect information about what plant sprays, fertiliser and irrigation are used. Once the crop is harvested and sold, the crop yield information is collected too, and uploaded by the field officers at headquarters.
When the information is analysed, there’s a record of what grows best where and how crops respond to different care regimes. This information can be shared between farmers and it can lead to greater precision in farming decisions. One example we heard about was that women in one particular village grew a higher volume of tomatoes than in the neighbouring village. When the data was examined it was discovered that the village was 7th day Adventist, nobody smoked and so they didn’t have the mosaic virus disease which can be carried by tobacco.
With the crop planner application, buyers can now forward order and farmers can plant the right amount at the right time to have it ready for supply, which reduces waste and maximises income. Logistics and payment are now dependable. Farmers, especially women farmers, are empowered and have savings. The community is more resilient, the crops are more productive – leading to higher incomes and increased food security – and with less waste there are lower emissions.
A simple crop planner technology backed by people and systems from the local community has provided a triple win for the people around the township of Wau in Papua New Guinea. It’s an example of precision agriculture that is appropriate for and can deliver in the Pacific.
While I have your attention, I’d like to mention what New Zealand and partner countries are doing at COP24. We’re working on a two-day event on sustainable agriculture, again with the strong support of Fiji. We’d really like to have a Pacific Agriculture session, to focus on Pacific issues, ideas, and needs. I’d like to hear from you as to what might be useful and interesting. If you have success stories to tell, it would be great to highlight them.