- 3.1 Overview of the study area
- 3.1.1 Geology and climate
- 3.1.2 Conventional farming systems
- 3.1.3 Recent political and economic events
3. The case of organic agriculture in Canterbury
This section introduces the study area before outlining recent developments in the practice of organic agriculture in the Canterbury region.
3.1 Overview of the study area
Organic farming practices have developed in the Canterbury region for a number of reasons. Three factors have been particularly influential in the expansion of an organic production system. These include the area’s geology and climate, established farming systems, and recent political and economic events.
3.1.1 Geology and climate
In geological terms, the study area is made up of a 200 kilometre long alluvial plain stretching approximately 60 kilometre from the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean.
The proximity of the Southern Alps has a significant impact on Canterbury Plains’ climate. The rain shadow effect means that eastern coastal regions of the South island can suffer from drought conditions while the rest of the country is experiencing slightly less than average rainfall. This problem is increased by the drying effect of the prevailing north-westerly föhn wind. However, the cold Canterbury winter and hot, dry summer means that many pests have difficulty becoming established in crops when compared to a more mild, moist annual climate. Consequently, the Canterbury climate provides ideal conditions for arable production during seasons with sufficient rain.
In the ten years prior to 1991, the Canterbury climate experienced extremes of both rainfall and windrun, combining to create heavy drought conditions in 1988/89. The caused many farmers to question the appropriateness of conventional farming practices in the region which relied on a high level of inputs, but also demanded high returns to fund such inputs.
3.1.2 Conventional farming systems
Historically, the flat lands of the Canterbury Plains have been used for sheep grazing and arable farming. Since the 1920s many farmers in the region have ‘swung’ between the production of wheat and sheep farming depending on the current viability of each commodity. This process is unique to the Canterbury Plains and is referred to as the ‘sheep/crop pendulum’.
In the years leading up to the development of an export industry for organic food, two significant changes in farm production systems took place (Campbell 1994). First, a number of Canterbury farms moved away from a sole reliance on sheep/crops and began to diversify into beef, deer, pigs, horses and horticulture. Second, many farms moved towards the middle of the sheep/crop pendulum in an attempt to spread the range of revenue producing items on farms. This strengthened the mixed farming practices traditionally associated with Canterbury. This tendency to use rotations of crops and stock also placed Canterbury growers in a strong position to adopt the same systems within an organic context.
3.1.3 Recent political and economic events
The most important changes in Canterbury’s agricultural system occurred after 1984 with the nation-wide deregulation of agriculture, removal of price supports and liberalisation of the financial sector. These political reforms combined with unfavourable commodity prices, high exchange and interest rates and poor climatic conditions to create a severe crisis for agricultural producers. Campbell (1994) observed that the resultant impact on the economic and social structure of agriculture and rural life in Canterbury was considerable. Many long-established business practices, informal and formal business relationships, and farm management practices were dramatically altered. Subsequently some farmers were disillusioned with existing farm practices and were prepared to experiment with alternative ideas about what could be considered a legitimate form of farming for the Canterbury region.
In summary, physical, agricultural and broader political and economic contexts of the Canterbury region have combined to provide an environment where established and newer farmers could capitalise on organic farming as a possible option for Canterbury farming systems.
Contact for Enquiries
Kay Brown
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0695
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0746
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