46 AUGUST 2018
THE LAST WORD
AG-INNOVATION
NZ PUNCHES ABOVE ITS WEIGHT
Following a recent visit to New Zealand, head of research and
development for Bayer Global division Crop Science Adrian Percy came
to one inescapable conclusion about our ag innovation that he shared in
his blog to Crop Science readers around the world.
New Zealand
agriculture is
dealing with
the same issues
facing other
industrialised
societies:
increasing
urbanisation,
high cost/low
availability
of labour,
stricter
environmental
regulations,
traceability in
the food chain
(particularly
relevant for
an economy
based on farm
exports),
market
volatility
and shifting
consumer
preferences.
zero emissions economy by 2050.
Encouraging collaboration, creativity and
transparency is key to bringing innovative
ag solutions to market. New Zealand agriculture
hasn’t lost sight of the consumer
and is developing new food varieties, including
new varieties of kiwifruit.
Like the strategy Bayer is pursuing, New
Zealand is fostering a network of incubators
and accelerators to create its own
innovation ecosystem to encourage collaboration
among entrepreneurs and investors
to solve problems that are common
to farmers worldwide. One of these is
Sprout Agritech Accelerator, which plans
to fund, train and mentor ag startups and
provide them an opportunity to pitch their
ideas to a hand-picked group of investors,
corporate partners and potential customers.
This type of effort is being repeated
all over the globe. Innovation ‘hot spots’
are springing up in the U.S., Israel, Australia
and the Netherlands – just to name
a few. And all of them are seeking the
breakthrough technologies that will be
needed to meet the world’s future global
food security needs.
While visiting New Zealand’s Plant and
Food Research, I tasted one of the newly
developed smooth-skin kiwifruits that
can be consumed skin and all, and it was
delicious. I also sampled another variety,
which was not so delicious and therefore
will go unnamed. But that’s the thing
about innovation: you never know what
you’re going to get until you try. And at
Bayer, we will never stop trying. Innovation
isn’t meant to be easy, but when it
works, everyone gets to enjoy the fruits
of our labour.
When I mention New
Zealand, most people
immediately conjure up
images of breathtaking
landscapes, ranging from rugged mountains,
picturesque fiords, rolling pastures,
to subtropical forests. Culturally, the indigenous
Maori people are usually topof
mind, as are references to The Lord of
the Rings films. Eventually, people think
about agriculture, particularly livestock and
horticulture (think kiwifruit), but one thing
they seldom mention is high tech. And
that’s a shame, because some of today’s
most innovative thinking, particularly as it
relates to farming, is coming straight out
of New Zealand.
I recently attended Techweek, New Zealand’s
annual festival of innovation which
this year included 540 events in 24 locations
around the country. Following my
visits to this event and to local farms and
universities, I came to the inescapable
conclusion that New Zealand is clearly
punching above its weight when it comes
to ag innovation. This is all the more remarkable
considering that the local agricultural
economy is heavily dependent on
exporting lamb, beef and dairy, even as
consumers around the world are turning
to alternative protein sources. I suppose
adversity forces one to either adapt, or
perish.
New Zealand agriculture is dealing with the
same issues facing other industrialised societies:
increasing urbanisation, high cost/
low availability of labour, stricter environmental
regulations, traceability in the food
chain (particularly relevant for an economy
based on farm exports), market volatility
and shifting consumer preferences. While
some of these may seem overwhelming,
our Kiwi friends have figured out something
that all of us should remember –
the answer to these issues is more ag
innovation, not less. New Zealanders are
pulling together – farmers, researchers,
entrepreneurs and government – in a
very conspicuous effort to encourage
investment in and development of new
agricultural technologies.
A good example of this is the New Zealand
company Robotics Plus, who are developing
robots capable of pollinating and
harvesting kiwifruit right off the vine. Their
vision is to supply quality fresh produce
to the global market while maintaining a
competitive price point against processing
alternatives. While there are many other
high-tech developments underway or in
development, New Zealand agriculture
hasn’t lost sight of the consumer and is
developing new food varieties (such as
smooth-skin kiwifruit) and technologies
that can pack, track and deliver safe, blemish
free foods around the world.
Perhaps because they inherently understand
that the value and beauty of
a diverse landscape is tied to the preservation
of its precious vegetative, soil
and water resources, New Zealand’s government
and people rightly take pride in
being a global leader in low emissions
agriculture. In a rising tide of greenhouse
gas, New Zealand’s methane emissions
were up by only 5% compared to 1990,
while emissions per unit of production
were down 1% per year over the past
15 years. Not satisfied with incremental
improvement, the country is pursuing a