policy – Page 2 – Soil and Health Association of NZ

Food Sovereignty, resilience & security

24 February 2017/in Policies

Everyone should be able to access affordable, safe and nutritious food that is produced in a way that enhances the environment.

The Soil & Health Association is committed to strengthening food sovereignty in Aotearoa New Zealand by:

Supporting the right to food as recognised by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Acknowledging Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi
Opposing local food supply being largely subject to international market forces.
Opposing multinational corporations’ control over seed and fertiliser patents.
Advocating for government support of local food production and processing, for example through food procurement policies.
Advocating for increased resilience and self-sufficiency of food production.-
Supporting local food economies and initiatives such as community-supported agriculture, community gardens and food forests, public orchards, seed banks and farmers markets.
Encouraging the development of food gardens and gardening education in public institutions such as early childhood centres, schools, marae, prisons, hospitals and retirement homes.

We believe in the right of people to:

Be able to access safe and nutritious food, grow diverse and nutritious food, and equip themselves with the resources and knowledge needed to sustain themselves and their communities.

We believe that:

Control of food should be placed in local communities and in a way that is socially, economically and culturally appropriate to their bioregion.

Organic, agroecological and regenerative farming can meet Aotearoa New Zealand’s nutritional needs, our climate change obligations, and improve the prosperity of our economy.

Climate change

24 February 2017/in Policies

Agriculture, poorly executed, is one of the largest contributors to climate change. In Aotearoa New Zealand nearly 50% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by agriculture. Agriculture can contribute to climate change through the use of synthetic fertilisers, which tend to burn up carbon in the soil, destabilize soil microbe populations and release nitrous oxide. This adds to nutrient deficient, unhealthy, pesticide dependent plants and animals, greater fossil fuel use in transportation, and the release of CO2 into the atmosphere from soil degradation and erosion. Organic agriculture however can work to mitigate climate change through:

Reducing greenhouse gases, especially the release of CO2 from the soil, by avoiding high synthetic soluble nitrogen fertilisers and minimising nutrient losses.

Sequestering carbon in soil and plant biomass by building organic matter in soil, encouraging a greater use of trees and perennial plants, and protecting and enhancing indigenous ecosystems.

Minimising energy consumption by eliminating the energy required in manufacturing synthetic fertilisers, and by reducing reliance on external inputs, by using internal farm inputs as much as possible, thus reducing fuel used for manufacture and transport.

Minerals such as lime, magnesium and trace elements that provide the mineral balance and amounts needed for microbial, root and humus growth, which is fundamental for building healthy soils and sequestering carbon.

Reducing methane emissions from ruminant animals by having lower stock density and by planting high-tannin species such as birdsfoot trefoil, and deep-rooted herbs that recycle minerals with natural efficiency, which in turn reduce methane emissions from stock that eat them.

Using agro-ecological systems that implement crop and stock rotation systems, with Holistic Management which build healthy soils, healthy plants and healthy livestock.

The Soil & Health Association believes it is possible to rapidly and profitably transform Aotearoa New Zealand agriculture from a net emitter of greenhouse gases to net sequesterer. Soil & Health commits to providing education and information to farmers on approaches to grazing and cultivation and agroforestry/farm forestry that will quickly turn NZ agriculture into a net sequesterer of atmospheric carbon in the form of long-term humus in productive, profitable soils and sustainable woodlots.

We are committed to:

Supporting organic farming and land-use practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work to mitigate climate change.

Encouraging appropriate organic agriculture practices that sequester carbon in soil and plant biomass such as taller grass grazing, agro-forestry, cover cropping, mixed cropping, food forests and urban gardens.

Supporting small-scale and local food production and consumption to reduce emissions released through transportation.

We believe that organic agriculture:

Is part of the solution to climate change.

Can and should form the basis of national governmental policies and common farming practices to reverse climate change.

Photo credit: Nick Holmes

Organics

24 February 2017/in Policies

Agriculture is one of humankind’s most basic activities because all people need to nourish themselves daily.

It is therefore also the biggest way we as humans affect the world around us. Agriculture however, poorly executed, is one of the largest contributors to climate change and is the greatest immediate threat to species and ecosystems around the world. Agriculture can also involve the unethical mistreatment and exploitation of both people and animals.

The Principles of Organic Agriculture, established by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), serve to inspire the organic movement in its full diversity, presented with a vision of their world-wide adoption.

The Soil & Health Association supports IFOAM’s four principles of organic agriculture which are:

Health – organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible
Ecology – organic agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them
Fairness – organic agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities
Care – organic agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment.

Read our recent discussion of organics – Safe Food & Healthy Families