Unsung heroes under the soil
Much of the scientific work being carried out at the Massey University led regenerative agriculture project, Whenua Haumanu, is below the ground.
The scholarships are available to students studying soil fertility, soil mapping, and farm management papers at Massey University in Palmerston North. Over the past nine years Horizons has granted over $150,000 to students in order to meet a demand for experts in the sustainable land use field.
Horizons environmental monitoring coordinator, Malcolm Todd says the scholarship encourages students to have a very particular skill set and provides real life experience to those who seek it.
“SLUI aims to control hill country erosion and is a partnership between Horizons, central government and farmers. When SLUI was introduced in 2006, we identified we had a skill shortage to implement the programme, and have set the application criteria for SLUI scholarships accordingly,” says Todd.
“Not only do students need a soil science background, they also need to understand the practical side of running a farm and be able to relate to farmers. Those who meet these criteria can receive a scholarship, and for a lucky few, also get offered the opportunity to work for Horizons full-time over summer.”
This year’s students, Josie Winters, Courtney Mitchell and Natalie Hyslop, have spent the last three months creating soil health plans, auditing SLUI farms, and updating data in Horizons geographic information system.
“It’s been a huge boost of confidence for us to get out on farms and work with farmers,” says Winters.
“Not only does this practical experience look good on our CVs, we’ve also had the opportunity to learn so much more than we could have in class. I’d say our summer here has been a 50/50 split between learning new skills and practical work on farm so I would highly recommend these scholarships to other students.”
Horizons environmental management officer William McKay is a past SLUI scholarship recipient and has been at Horizons for two years.
“I studied a Bachelor of Science at Massey, received a scholarship three years in a row and worked for Horizons each summer,” says McKay.
“The scholarship helped me to include more farm management papers in my studies than I otherwise would have done, and also helped my understanding on more advanced papers that I did in soil science and farm management. It also put me in a favourable position to apply for a job that came up at Horizons and I’ve been here ever since.”
Applications for SLUI scholarships open every year around February and can contribute $2,000-$10,000 towards student fees.
This year’s round closes on April 13.
For more information visit the Grants and Sponsorship page of Horizons’ website www.horizons.govt.nz
