Dr Jamie Blennerhassett is opening LandWISE 2021 asking the questions,
“What are the future challenges to the primary industry and where might they come from?”
Jamie looked at the opportunity to get ahead of those challenges so that we not only survive as an industry but thrive.
Future environmental trends, regulations, technology threats and opportunities
Anyone with a passing interest in the news will see daily items covering the impending catastrophe of climate change and the ongoing decline of our freshwater resources. Alongside these stories, you will also likely see reporting on regulatory reform introduced to deal with these challenges as well as the resultant dissatisfaction from farmers at the scale and pace of those regulatory changes.
Should any of this have been a surprise? In short the answer is no. We have been aware of declining water quality and a changing climate from human caused greenhouse gas emissions for well over 20 years, as firstly scientists, then environmentalists and lastly the wider public sounded alarm bells and raised concerns around human caused impacts on the environment. The resulting outcome in the shape of regulatory change was inevitable as the voice of the people took effect.
So as we sit here now and reflect on the fact that the regulatory response was entirely predictable by following the science and the subsequent consumer/community desires, what are the next issues that will drive regulatory change and how do we get out in front of the change?
Topics such as indigenous biodiversity and water use efficiency are obvious places to start as they gain increasing attention from scientists and environmentalists alike. While many consumer trends come and go, particularly around things like fashion and diets, trends linked to the environment and sustainability have been consistent and growing for well over 20 years and usually follow the science.
By looking to the science, we likely allow ourselves an early insight into the next consumer trends and a chance to get ahead of the curve in the premium end of the market by setting up our farming systems to solve for these problems. Not only will this allow us to win in the market place, it will likely have us well placed for the next wave of regulatory change that will invariably follow shortly behind those consumer demands as they then turn into the voice of the people at the ballot box.
Listen to a Summary SoundClip here:
Jamie is the Innovation Leader at Ballance AgriNutrients. He has 20 years’ experience in the fertiliser industry across a range of leadership roles from science and new product development to sales management.
Jamie has a PhD in soil science from Massey University and has a passion for finding an optimum balance between the need for efficient food production and protecting our natural environment.
Ballance AgriNutrients is a proud, and longstanding sponsor of the LandWISE Conference, the LandWISE MicroFarm and our “Future Proofing Vegetable Production” project.
