Under the spotlight this week is SDG #9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. It’s a big meaty goal, that is relevant to all parts of our lives, and the agricultural sector is no different. We take a look at what SDG #9 is about, and then look to focus specifically on innovation. Innovation is a two-fold process of development and adoption, and we seek to highlight some of the great things being done in both these areas.
What is SDG #9 about?
SDG #9 seeks to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation.
Targets for this goal are focused on:
- Developing quality, resilient, reliable and sustainable infrastructure. This infrastructure should support both economic growth and human wellbeing,
- Promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation that significantly increases Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment that comes from industry,
- Increase access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises to financial services, and integration into supply and value chains,
- Upgrade infrastructure, and retro-fit industries, to make them sustainable, with a focus on resource-use efficiency, greater adoption of environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, and
- Enhance scientific research, upgrade technological capabilities of industrial sectors, and encourage innovation.
Once again, the focus of this SDG is quite broad and covers many areas that relate to industry, innovation, and infrastructure. Despite this, there are some common themes that come through in what this goal seeks to achieve:
- There is a core emphasis on economic growth, as well as decent work, which links in nicely with SDG #8.
- Efficiencies, responsible resource use, and environmental impact are all a focus in having resilient and sustainable industries and infrastructure into the future. This links into other SDG’s such as #7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), #12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), #13 (Climate Action), and #15 (Life on Land).
- Working together to find new ways of doing things ,and to create resilient and thriving industries into the future further contributes to SDG #17: Partnerships for the Goals.
SDG #9 plays an important role in how we look forward to the future. It provides a focus that is centered around looking to do things better, find new ways to approach problems, find innovative solutions, and to seek continuous improvement.
Why is SDG #9 Important for Agriculture?
SDG #9 is important for agriculture in more ways than one. Let’s take innovation as an example.
Innovation is defined as ‘a new idea, method, product etc.’. When innovation pops to mind, we may traditionally think of research and development, and agritech in particular. This is a very important piece of the puzzle. What is also really important for innovation in our sector is what we do on farm. Farmers adopting new ideas, new crops, new data management tools, trialing new additions to their farming systems, diversification, and more, are all examples of innovation in agriculture.
Without the adoption of different ways of doing things, the ability to create impact on becoming a more resilient and sustainable sector is going to be a major challenge. It is therefore important that agricultural innovation is focused both on pushing the limits and finding new approaches, but also in the adoption of innovation. Innovation to one farmer may look different to the next. It needn’t be expensive, it needn’t be ‘fancy’. Innovation for farmers fundamentally is all about trying new things and there are so many ways one can do that.
What's happening in New Zealand Agricultural Innovation?
1.) Research and Development - Pushing the Boundaries
Biolumic is driven by activating growth, which they do through programming plants with light. In simple terms, Biolumic use UV light treatments to trigger biological mechanisms in seeds and seedlings that can lead to increased plant growth, vigour, and yields. When it comes to the agricultural sector, the work of Biolumic is seeking to unlock high value traits that will enhance the productivity of the sector. The seed treatments, which are GM-free, are focusing on boosting root growth, controlling pathogens, and having higher growth rates and yield.
One key focus is using their light treatments to develop low emissions pastures with increased productivity gains. Funding from AgriZero has enabled Biolumic to continue on the journey of this important research, and specifically apply their work to a focus on ryegrass.
Another component of innovation in the sector is innovative uses of the products the sector produces. One example of this is Fleecegrow who are researching the use of wool as a growing media for the horticultural sector. This is an awesome example of the fibre production industry being able to support the horticultural industry, and see the products the sector produces being utilised here in New Zealand. As well as researching wool as a growing media, the Fleecegrow team are also really interested in the fertiliser potential of wool.
Another focus of innovation is optimisation and looking for ways to make work easier and more accessible. A great example of this was the generation of the electronic fruit bin, otherwise known as the e-bin. This innovation sought to increase the demographic of kiwifruit pickers by addressing the challenges of availability of people on orchard, the physically taxing nature of harvest, and the traditional requirement to be able to carry 25kgs to be a fruit picker. This places a significant barrier on who can undertake harvest roles.
University of Waikato, with sponsorship from Zespri, saw the opportunity to expand the demographic through the use of their electronic fruit bin. The key features of this design were that it allows for bag-free picking, so workers don’t have to have any extra weight on their body, but also allows for safe depositing of fruit into the bin. The e-bin moves down the row with the pickers, and as they pick they put the fruit directly onto the machine which safely allows the kiwifruit to accumulate in the crate.
Innovation is largely stemmed from looking to improve or find new ways of doing things. The reasons that drive those innovations are diverse, however looking to create value from reducing a contentious practice is something that has been the focus of Miti. Miti has chosen to focus on looking to add value to dairy beef by raising bobby calves through to 12 months of age, before being slaughtered for a high-value beef snack product. The approach of Miti has been truly innovative in how it has not only sought to add value, but to really look to provide a solution to the challenge our sector faces with the ethical challenges around culling of bobby calves.
2.) On Farm Adoption
Ag Assist has been an innovation that has filled a significant gap in how the Food and Fibre sector is able to manage attracting and retaining talent. It is an online platform that is designed to connect farmers and skilled individuals to help tackle the issue of labour shortages and finding skilled workers. This has been revolutionary as the focus is on connecting all people who have talent and skills to offer the sector, whether it be specialised and specific, or more general. The other great thing about this approach has been that it connects farmers and individuals with providing/gaining work that isn’t always through the traditional route of a full time job. It might be assisting for a season, or doing some odd jobs – Ag Assist has really sought to guarantee that connections can be made between those who need work done and those who want to work.
Re-thinking our relationship with soil
The ability to re-think, be open to new ideas, and putting learning into practice is a huge part of innovation on farm in New Zealand. We continue to see a rise in farmers looking to learn more about the biological side of soil health, in addition to the traditional approach that has prioritised chemical and physical properties. Irrespective of what you call it, starting and/or continuing to understand and work with our soils in ways that continue to move us forward is paying dividends for many farmers. It doesn’t have to mean overthrowing what you’ve done until now, and it doesn’t have to look like how other farmers are doing it, but it does look like doing something new and innovative in the context of your business.
Getting to know your soils through visual soil assessments? That’s innovative if you haven’t done that before.
Reducing inputs? That’s also innovative if it is a variation on your normal practice.
Diverse pasture species, or even increasing your pasture diversity with a couple of species? That’s innovative in the context of your farm.
Innovation can be big or small, but it really is about doing something different than your current business as usual.
Resolution Farm Management Software
The use of technology on farm has the potential to change the game for farmers in many ways. However, it is so important that this technology is farmer-focused, easy to use, and solves a problem they already have. Resolution Farm Management software has been one of these pieces of technology that has been a game changer as they have really nailed being for the farmer, easy to use, and solving the problem of data management on farm. We’ve heard nothing but great things about Resolution and we also swear by it. It really is a piece of technology that is being adopted by different generations of farmers to allow for better management and communication. A farmer I was working with this week commented that they weren’t sure they would have gotten all of their data and records into a state of being auditable for FAP+ if it wasn’t for using Resolution to make things so much easier.
Becks has recently released a podcast episode with Paul Ruddenklau and Emma Smith from the Resolution team. It is well worth a listen to hear more about the story behind Resolution, the journey to where it is today, and the upcoming release of Version 3.0. You can listen to it here.
Giving posts new life with repost
We currently live in a time where we prioritise a linear economy which focuses on production, consumption, and waste. However, we see some awesome initiatives that are looking to innovate by championing a reuse and/or circular economy which continues the cycle to reduce or eliminate the production of non-recyclable waste. One awesome example of this in New Zealand is the work of Repost.
Repost’s vision is to work together to recycle and repurpose resources that would otherwise go to waste. They do this through their mission to lower the impact of the viticulture industry on the environment by repurposing waste timber wine posts into quality, low-cost fencing solutions for New Zealand farmers.
So far, Repost has saved 8,711 tonnes of wood from going to landfill. These recycled posts have instead had a positive impact with 7,953 kilometres of fencing completed across the country using Repost recycled posts.
To hear more about their story, check out their Country Calendar episode.
Energy resilience using solar power generation
Looking to increase diversification and resilience on farm goes hand-in-hand with innovation. We are seeing a rise in awareness around the benefits that solar power generation on farms can have for efficiencies, as well as helping the bottom line.
Solayer has been stepping into the space of helping farmers to make their solar generation dreams a reality. The drive behind Solayer is to reduce farm working expenses for farmers in a way that doesn’t require risk or compromise. Whether they’re ground mounted arrays or putting solar on roofs, there are options for farmers to increase their resilience, generate a great return on investment, reduce power bills, and even sell electricity back to the grid.
If you want to learn more about what options there are on your farm for solar generation, get in touch with the team at Solayer.
Attention all southerners!
For those of us in the southern part of the country, there is a great event coming up that is showcasing all things Agritech and Innovation. After a really successful first year, Thriving Southland are bringing back their Southern Agritech and Innovation Day on Thursday 1st of May at the Southern Field Days site in Waimumu (near Gore).
Early bird tickets are on sale until 31st March for only $35 +GST. It’s awesome to see an affordable way for farmers to engage with all things agritech and innovation, and it is bound to be a great day out.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.thrivingsouthland.co.nz/agritech2025/
