increase font size
Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor has announced further investment in the S-Map tool.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced a $6.25 million investment in mapping New Zealand’s most valuable soils.
“The more we know about our natural resources, including soils, the better we can make good sustainable land use decisions,” O’Connor said.
He says that good farm planning advice and good data are essential to the roadmap.
The government will invest the money, which was allocated in the 2019 Productive and Sustainable Land Use package, in expanding S-Map.
S-Map is a tool which combines on-the-ground soil sampling with digital mapping technologies.
“Expanding S-Map will have lasting benefits for our regions,” O’Connor said.
MPI has commissioned Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research to work with councils across New Zealand over the next five years to carry out the project.
The project could add approximately 1.5 million hectares of land to S-Map.
Manaaki Whenua chief executive Dr Richard Gordon says the information provided by S-Map is important for freshwater modelling and nutrient limit setting.
“We know there is strong demand for greater S-map coverage, to inform decision making on a range of national issues including climate change, food production, and meeting new freshwater regulations.”
As of August 2020, S-Map covers 50 percent of New Zealand’s farmable land (36 percent of total land).
OPINION: Soil is one of the most valuable assets that a farmer has. It is our collective responsibility to make use of soils without damaging either the soil or any other part of our environment, protecting them for our own use and use by future generations.
OPINION: A public battle is playing out between supporters and opponents of live animal experts.
An upgraded free trade agreement (FTA) between New Zealand and China comes into force from April 7.
OPINION: Soil organic matter was a hot topic for environmentalists, ecologists and primary producers in 2020.
The government has announced that 2,000 experienced seasonal workers from the Pacific will be allowed into New Zealand in the new year.
An Auckland gelato shop and an established New Zealand ice cream maker have both been named Supreme Champions at the NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards 2026.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household grocery budgets, new figures show pork remains one of the most affordable fresh meat options for New Zealand families.
OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.
Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.
Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.
Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.
OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…
