For some the change is likely permanent. Who’d want to have shares in an airline?
Meanwhile, in agriculture the issues of environment, sustainability and emissions have not evaporated. Instead, they are likely to be more important than ever.
Covid-19 disrupted food supply chains made people think carefully about where their food is coming from, probably for the first time in their lives.
The discussion morphed from light-hearted smashed avocado/millennial hazing to toilet paper fist fights (Australians …) and supermarket rationing of previously untrendy commodities like yeast, flour and pasta.
Food bank demand went ballistic.
Many food charities have appeared, for example, Meat the Need sprang into life, putting meat on the table for those in need via farmers donating animals. It’s a truly inspirational way for growers to link with consumers and build a selfless reputation in a time of need.
Farmers, it seems, might be cool again.
Have we got our mojo back with our townie cousins? Perhaps a bit early to tell. But the window is open for the conversation to occur.
Why did our mojo go-go? Farmers have lost touch with the urban communities. Why?
No longer do most townies have farming relatives where cousins are packed up and sent to enjoy school holidays.
The vast majority of our population are mall rats and their only exposure to grass is when they mow the lawn – if they have one.
Farming happens mysteriously, out there, beyond the urban sprawl.
We’ve believed our own press that farmers are the backbone of the NZ economy.
We became complacent because we’d been told our efforts are noble and our urban cousins need us more than we need them.
Meantime, they’ve moved on.
Do consumers know or care about much Australian beef is sold in supermarkets? How many meals are now made from Mexican chickpeas?
We’re still remembering how good the Korean War wool boom was (in 1951) and asking why it isn’t like that today for us farmers?
Urbanites have observed rural sector capital appreciation. How many real farms can you buy for less than $3m these days? Then they relook at their lot, wondering how they’re ever going to buy a house.
Looking over the fence again, they eye farmers enviously, not always understanding the true costs, the climate and market risks and our efforts for the rewards received. The green-eyed monster is alive and well.
As a generalisation, people have never had a food supply so good as those alive today.
Malthus’ doomsday scenario of global population growth outpacing agriculture’s production ability has not yet come to pass. Changing technological, genetic and management practices continue to increase food production far in excess of what was envisaged even in our lifetimes.
It is debatable whether this food supply is sustainable (water constraints, production system sustainability), if the food is sufficiently nutritious (heavily processed, calorie dense, nutritionally bereft, cheap foods) or even if the food is reaching those most in need.
Until covid-19, most New Zealanders did not think about farming in the context of where their food comes from simply because their food needs were satisfied.
When they do think of farming many perceive rich, entitled, whinging cockies with over-intensified farms, polluted waterways and too many farting animals in a degraded environment.
No wonder we have lost touch with many of our urban cousins.
It’s not as bad as all that suggests.
NZ agriculture is working hard to build a relationship with our urban cousins and clearly tell our story. It’s hard. Nothing sells as well as bad news and NZ agriculture is trying to sell a good news story of hard work and determination to get it right.
Thankfully, given current economic climes, consumers also want to relationship-build with food producers. The opportunity is ripe for the 30-year-old, slowly widening rural-urban gap to close.
We need our urban cousins to understand our businesses.
We have environmental and sustainability headwinds facing us, requiring a collective deep breath and a mature nationwide discussion on contentious topics like genetic engineering, water harvesting, nutrient management and emissions profiles.
As a country, we aspire to add sustainably produced to our list of attributes.
The Primary Sector Council’s long-awaited inspirational vision and strategy, Te Taiao, has been overshadowed in the media by covid-19. It is easy to forget about sustainability among the need for isolation distances and hand sanitiser.
Agriculture will lead NZ out of the covid-19 wilderness. Brand NZ is seen by many as a proxy for safe, trustworthy food.
The world has looked favourably upon NZ and the way the covid-19 crisis has been handled to date. Now the world is looking to us to help solve their food problems. NZ agriculture will be the saviour of the NZ economy and urbanites will benefit as much as farmers.
For NZ agriculture to perform to its sustainable potential we need agreement from our urban cousins for these technologies and practices to occur as we strive to produce high-quality food with less environmental impact. To have that discussion they need to understand us and why we do what we do and why agriculture is so important to NZ’s economic welfare.
He waka eke noa. We’re all in this together.
