This interview featured in partnership with the Institute of Rural Professionals. Watch the full webinar with Nick here.

A national model of New Zealand’s food system is being built to test how land-use shifts and trade shocks would play out.

Bioeconomy Science Institute senior scientist Nick Smith says the five-year programme, led by the Riddet Institute and Wakatū Incorporation, is about three years in.

“This tool is not being built for individual farmers thinking about individual blocks of land,” he says.

Smith says the model targets national and regional decisions, and captures the capital, infrastructure and time a land-use change needs.

“You can’t decide in January that you want apples and by the next January have a fully mature apple orchard.”

He says a recent paper by team member Rich McDowell finds the land changes needed for national self-sufficiency are relatively minor, with infrastructure the sticking point.

This interview featured in partnership with the Institute of Rural Professionals. Watch the full webinar with Nick here.

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.

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