agriculture

What do soil, farming and science have to do with each other? Actually, they are inextricably related. For centuries, humans ...

Hilton Collier (Ngāti Porou) is an agribusiness consultant who thinks all animals have mana in their own right and deserve to be treated with respect. This ...

We all need protein to live and stay healthy. However, many protein sources are becoming an increasingly expensive way to meet our needs – both economically ...

Insects are vital for our ecosystems, but sometimes there are places where we don’t want them – destroying our gardens, eating our food crops and trees, ...

We use chemicals every day, and they’re all around us. We know different chemicals come in different forms and that they will behave differently in different ...

Did you know there are over 30,000 chemicals approved for use across Aotearoa New Zealand? Who approves and regulates the use of these chemicals? How do ...

Kiwi Kai is an online learning tool that is an ideal context to learn about science capabilities and enduring competencies. Scenarios in this virtual farm encourage ...

Kiwi Kai is a farm simulator that explores the relationships between a healthy environment, healthy kai, healthy people and communities. The goal is manaakihia te taiao, ...

Kiwi Kai is an engaging online learning tool – this virtual farm allows students to explore the relationships between a healthy environment, healthy kai, healthy people ...

American foulbrood (AFB) is a highly infectious disease that infects bee larvae. It costs the beekeeping industry millions of dollars a year and threatens the role ...

In the continuous drive to improve farm animal genetics and meat quality, agricultural researchers and farmers have often adapted medical imaging and diagnostic tools used in ...

Green rolling hills studded with fluffy white sheep is an image New Zealand has traded on for decades, both to promote our wool and meat and ...

The dairy sector is big business in Aotearoa New Zealand. The first refrigerated exports began in 1882 with a 98-day journey to ship milk and butter ...

Aotearoa New Zealand’s primary sector exports reached a record $56 billion in 2023. Milk is packed with nutrients and is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, ...

Weather always brings challenges for the farming community, but climate change has the potential to create additional risks. The dairy and agricultural sectors produce about half ...

We often think of pasture as grassy areas where cows, sheep or other animals graze, but if we take a closer look, there is a lot ...

Understanding the nitrogen cycle – the transformations that nitrogen undergoes as it moves between the atmosphere, the land and living things – is an important part ...

Ruminants are mammals with specialised digestive systems that use fermentation processes to gain nutrients from plant material. Cattle, sheep, deer and goats are all ruminants. They ...

Plantain has been in the spotlight as scientists and farmers investigate its usefulness as pasture feed and its potential environmental benefits. Dr Ina Pinxterhuis and Dr ...

Plantain is the common name for around 200 plants in the family Plantaginaceae. There are about 20 species in Aotearoa New Zealand, including 10 endemic species. ...

This resource provides explanations of the key concepts and terms encountered when exploring some of the science that supports sustainable dairy farming. Cultivar Dairy effluent Dry ...

The Waikato region has the highest number of dairy farms in New Zealand. It also has the largest number of dairy cattle – over 1.2 million ...

Magnesium is a chemical element – a substance that contains only one type of atom. Its official chemical symbol is Mg, and its atomic number is ...

Climate change is a complex topic, and this article breaks key aspects down into accessible, bite-sized sections. It concisely explains some of the science ideas associated ...

New Zealand uses 1080 to control introduced pests. Decades of research show that 1080 degrades quickly in water and soil. There are also regulations that protect ...