That old chestnut
OPINION: Just as it's healthy for cockies to get out of the shed and off the farm occasionally to get a fresh perspective, Milking It reckons some academics would benefit from spending a few days in the real world.
A recent study shows that the shift to renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, has led to increased food prices and a decrease in agricultural output.
While the benefits of renewable energy are well-established, researchers are also examining the less discussed economic and social impacts of the move towards ‘green’ energy.
Professor Emilson Silva, director of the University of Auckland Energy Centre and co-author of the study notes that their findings show energy transition is not a neutral process and that it carries significant consequences.
"It directly impacts people's lives."
Silva and co-author Dr Luccas Attílio from the Federal University of Ouro Preto, Brazil, analysed data from 32 OECD countries, including New Zealand, from 2000 to 2021.
Their findings show that nations more advanced in their renewable energy drive face more substantial effects, with higher food prices and more pronounced reductions in agricultural production, compared to those that are slower to adopt renewable energy sources.
"This evidence highlights a critical challenge," says Silva. "As the push for renewable energy intensifies, so does the pressure on vulnerable populations who bear the brunt of rising food costs."
Silva and Attílio say governments need to consider income support programmes and adopt more nuanced approaches to the energy transition.
"While going ‘green' is essential for mitigating climate change, it must be balanced with strategies to protect those negatively impacted," says Silva.
The study, detailed in the working paper 'Does the energy transition affect food prices and agricultural production?', originated from Professor Silva's observations of farmers’ recent protests in Australia and other countries against higher production costs associated with climate policies and the growth of renewable energy production.
“Some of the farmers had been grappling with rising work-related costs and issues stemming from their land being repurposed for solar and wind installations. So, I wanted to look at the data to find out what effect the uptake of renewable energy sources was having.”
State farmer Pāmu has appointed Roz Urbahn as its new chief corporate services officer.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved a rust fungus and a flower weevil to control Darwin’s barberry, a spiny invasive shrub.
Rural trader PGG Wrightson has lifted its earning guidance for the last financial year on the back of stronger-than-expected performances across several business units.
The creation of Europe's largest dairy co-operative should be complete by early 2026.
Federated Farmers is arguing for controversial environmentalist group Greenpeace to be stripped of its charitable status.
Twenty four young farmers from South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania have returned from a recent study tour of Ireland with practical insights, fresh thinking and an expanded network of peers.
OPINION: Spare a thought for the arable farmer, squeezed on one side by soft global prices and on the other…
OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts…