Country Life: Could Small-Scale Farms Be the Best Way to Feed the Country?
February 28, 2025 | Source: RNZ | by Sally Round
Small farms on the urban fringe could be the answer to improved food security in New Zealand, benefiting the environment and the community at the same time, farmer Alison Bentley said.
However, she has found small-scale farmers need help if they are to avoid burnout while paying the overheads and practising kaitiakitanga.
Bentley has run several trials and projects on Tikitere Farm, seven hectares of rolling paddocks and an orchard on the northeast flank of Lake Rotorua.
In addition, her small block has become a kind of petri dish for some of the in-depth research on small-scale growers which she undertook in 2023 for the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme.
Her study looked at small-block farmers’ contribution to New Zealand’s food system and food sustainability into the future.