The SFF supports farmers and researchers involved at grass-roots level to tackle shared problems or to develop new opportunities says MPI Director General, Martyn Dunne.

“Every year we receive a very high calibre of project applications, and this year was no different. This year’s projects cover nine primary sectors including horticulture, forestry, dairy and meat. Each project has a number of milestones to reach over the three years. As milestones are reached, information is shared among the community who benefits from the project. Through the fund, we are able to support industries and communities to help each other carry out applied research and field trials.

“Our investment programmes team supports each project through their milestones and each year we are pleased by the quality of projects, and the results they produce,” Dunne says.

Supported by the SFF, these are some of the problems or opportunities being looked in to:

• Optimising pollination of Gold3 kiwifruit under hail netting;
• Understanding and managing grain storage pests;
• Increasing the market share for New Zealand olive oil.