2 minute read
The Open Farms conversation continues
In February 2020, farmers and growers around New Zealand opened their gates to the public as part of the first Open Farms event to share their life on the land. Another year on and Open Farms is back to continue the conversation.
Seen as a way to help break down prejudice against the agriculture industry, the first Open Farms event saw 3,500 people visit farms around New Zealand — ranging from high-country sheep stations, to permaculture orchards, dairy farms and even an indoor microgreens producer in central Wellington. Now, the event is looking to bring more urban Kiwis out into the country and also presents an excellent opportunity for farmers and
| Every Kiwi should have access to a genuine on-farm experience. | The first Open Farms event saw 3,500 people visit farms around New Zealand.
growers to share their knowledge and best practice ideas with each other. “We built Open Farms because we believe that every Kiwi should have access to a genuine on-farm experience. To get there, we’ve streamlined hosting for farmers. All the guides and resources are in one place and Open Farms will manage all visitor marketing and registration,” project founder Daniel Eb says. Feedback from hosts and visitors from the 2020 event was overwhelmingly positive — three quarters of events were fully booked and 91 percent of visitors intend to visit a farm again. Hosts rated their day at 4.4/5, enjoying the chance to share the farming experience directly with people and see their work from a fresh, urban perspective. “The research shows that getting on farm changes how we view our role in the food system,” Daniel says. “72 percent of visitors left a farm wanting to buy food direct from a farmer and 64 percent were more willing to pay a premium for sustainably grown food. This is the right trajectory for citizens, farmers and our environment.” For Farmlands, supporting this event means rural shareholders have the opportunity to learn from one another, explore options for diverse land use and connect with others in their community, as well as share their story with townsfolk. Farmlands Director of External Relations, Mark McHardy is pleased with the feedback received from last year’s event and is looking forward to the opportunity to visit new and returning host farms. “Farmlands is very proud to be backing Open Farms for the second year after a strong opening event in 2020. We encourage our shareholders to get involved, either by signing up to host, visiting other operations, or encouraging urban family and friends to attend an event,” Mark says. “Open Farms is a very good way to build a positive profile of the agriculture industry and supports our local farmers and growers in telling the story of their produce to the rest of New Zealand and the world.”
