14 December 2007
Media statement

Sustainable Farming Fund targets climate change

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Jim Anderton today announced additional funding of $2 million a year for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s (MAF’s) Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) to invest in projects specifically relating to climate change.

“The SFF Climate Change portfolio will provide funding to help the primary industries respond to the challenges of climate change and the advent of the Emissions Trading Scheme,” Jim Anderton said.

“It will enable farmers, foresters and growers to trial and develop best practices from the grass roots up.

“As I said at the Primary Industries Summit in Christchurch late last month, it is vital to New Zealand’s economy that we further develop our competitive advantages in the global economy,” Jim Anderton said.

“I released MAF’s new publication, called “Future Focus”, which identifies the six key drivers of change facing primary industries over the next ten or fifteen years. They are technological advances; demographic shifts; issues of water quality; geopolitical power shifts; long term energy cost and supply; and climate change.
“The SFF Climate Change portfolio is one of a number of initiatives (including the Climate Change Adaptation Fund, the Irrigation Fund and the Afforestation Grants Scheme) designed to help ‘climate-proof’ the primary sector and ensure it is better equipped to capture the many opportunities presented by a changing climate.”  

The SFF will be looking for proposals that have the potential to:

Reduce the impact of climate change on the primary industries

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the environment and improve efficient use of resources

Capitalise on climate change related business opportunities such as carbon farming.

The closing date for funding applications is 10 March 2008.

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