Agriculture

MfE groundwater report: “Propaganda” or misunderstood? - Crikey Creek

Daniel Collins • Oct 22, 2009 •

• Groundwater,
• media,
• politics,
• Water quality

The Ministry for the Environment released a report yesterday on New Zealand’s groundwater quality, prepared by Geological and Nuclear Sciences Ltd. Today, I read in the Christchurch Press that the report concludes that “groundwater quality has no significant relationship with land use”. What’s more, Green Party co-leader Russel Norman called it “propaganda”. Bold claims indeed. Fortunately we can … Read More

Metagenomics-finding organisms from their genomes - Code for life

Grant Jacobs • Oct 20, 2009 •

• bioinformatics,
• DNA sequencing,
• metagenomics,
• microbiome

Scientists are surveying the genomes found in environments, a modern way to find what micro-organisms live there. There has been an explosions of "-omics" over the last decade. Metagenomics is the moniker given to genomic, or DNA sequence, surveys of environmental samples. Basically metagenomics involves researchers collecting DNA samples from, say, the ocean, beach … Read More

The yin and yang of virtual water - Crikey Creek

Daniel Collins • Oct 19, 2009 •

• Sustainability,
• Virtual water,
• water footprint

The Royal Society of New Zealand released a report on virtual water some weeks back. The report aimed to plug a knowledge gap in NZ, primarily in the policy sector, about what ’virtual water’ means and how it can help or hinder resource management and agricultural exports. It got a smattering of indigenous press coverage (here, … Read More

Is agricultural trade liberalisation bad for the climate? - Degrees of Change

Andy Reisinger • Oct 14, 2009 •

• agriculture,
• climate change,
• economic model,
• international trade

A Dutch research team has analysed the effect of agricultural trade liberalisation on global greenhouse gas emissions. Their study finds that a full liberalisation of agricultural trade (ie, removal of all trade barriers, quota and subsidies globally) would result in a 6% increase in global greenhouse gas emissions in 2015. Most … Read More

P addiction, overdose and eutrophication - Crikey Creek

Daniel Collins • Oct 09, 2009 •

• Sustainability,
• Water quality

We have an addiction problem. The craving for P goes right down to our bones and DNA. I’m not talking about methamphetamines, but phosphorus. We are about 1% phosphorus, by weight. Written as ‘P’ in chemical shorthand, it is an essential building block for proteins and bones, and central to our internal energy production. While … Read More

Self-interested, myopic hot-air - Hot Topic

Gareth Renowden • Sep 26, 2009 •

• Climate business,
• Climate politics,
• ETS,
• farming,
• Infometrics

New Zealand’s farming leadership have not distinguished themselves in the debate about climate policy. Federated Farmers president Don Nicholson has called for NZ to set no target for emissions reductions and for agriculture to be excluded from the emissions trading scheme, and former vice-president Frank Brenmuhl is still ruminating on the need for more debate [...] … Read More