increase font size
Nic Lees, Lincoln University.
A Lincoln University agri-food course is experiencing 150% growth in enrolment numbers after only two years on the curriculum.
The new multi-disciplinary degree course, which takes food production beyond the farmgate and on to the world stage, is one of the success stories at Lincoln University's Te Waihora campus.
The Bachelor of Agribusiness and Food Marketing degree (B.AFM) has gone from 20 students in 2014 to 50 students this year.
Developed to meet the demands of an industry with limited new graduates, the course prepares students for a career in the agri-food supply chain.
Senior agribusiness management lecturer Nic Lees says the degree is a unique course in New Zealand "in that it is an integrated course that includes both commerce and science papers".
"The mix of business, food quality and safety, supply chain management and marketing is what differentiates the programme."
Lees, who is the director of Lincoln's Agribusiness and Food Marketing programme, says the degree was developed in conjunction with leading agri-food companies.
"They have been saying that there is a lack of graduates prepared for careers in the agri-food supply chain beyond the farm gate. New Zealand has traditionally been good at producing food but there is a lack of expertise in marketing and value adding."
Australian and New Zealand Produce Marketing Association and agri-food companies such as Zespri, Fonterra, Synlait Milk, ANZCO Foods, Silver Fern Farms, and First Light Foods have all endorsed the degree.
According to Lees, the enrolments include 40 domestic students and 10 international students. Around half are from urban backgrounds and two thirds are female.
Lees expects student numbers to increase even more, with the degree becoming a flagship programme that compliments the Lincoln Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) and Bachelor of Agricultural Science degrees.
Many students, who are choosing the degree may have previously done a generic marketing or business degree or a degree in food and nutrition science, and they see the logic in a degree that combines these, says Lees.
"This is what employers are telling us. They want students who understand the technical aspects of food and things like food safety and nutrition, but also understand the marking and commercial aspect of the food industry."
More than 70 farmers from across the North and South Islands recently spent a dayand- a-half learning new business management and planning skills at Rabobank Ag Pathways Programmes held in Invercargill, Ashburton and Hawera.
A new report from ASB and Lincoln University shows how smarter, more diverse land use could unlock billions in value for farmers and the wider economy.
Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa says that while educators will support the Government’s investment in learning support, they’re likely to be disappointed that it has been paid for by defunding expert teachers.
Fonterra has invested in a new effluent pond mobile dosing service to support farmers to reduce emissions and make progress towards its on-farm emissions reductions target.
Hawke's Bay teenage entrepreneur Hugo Moffett is helping the rural community access cheaper school uniforms, all without leaving their homes.
A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.
Funding is proving crucial for predator control despite a broken model reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
The debate around New Zealand's future in the Paris Agreement is heating up.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.
OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.
OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.
