ESAI is a farmer-led organisation in the Ellesmere area of the Selwyn district, supporting farmers for over 20 years. ESAI advocates for our members on legislative matters, helps to upskill them on sustainable farming practices and create networks to nurture the well-being of our farming community and the land we live on.
ESAI’s environmental advisor Carey Barnett presents to the Selwyn District Council.
Ellesmere Sustainable Agriculture supports its farmer members in a variety of ways. We represent and advocate for our farmers at local, regional and national level with any organisation that impacts on the way you run your business. ESA also enables farmers to educate themselves, share knowledge and create connections that provide professional, as well as personal support for farmers.
In 2021, thanks to funding from MPI, ESAI established the Tinaku Project to assist with creating jobs, restoring indigenous biodiversity, protecting and enhancing the environment and water quality in the Ellesmere district, and to support local farmers in achieving this goal. This project was completed in July 2023. In the 3 years it was operational the project achieved the following:
- 22 workshops, events and drop-in sessions held with over 600 participants
- 192 feedback forms gathered from activities
- 262 subscribers to the newsletter and email marketing
- 87 surveys conducted on ESAI members with over 150 drinking and stock water samples tested for nitrates from bores on farms
- 240 water samples taken from 10 surface water sites with over 6000 parameters sampled and analysed by Pattle Delamore Partners to be used as baseline data to track changes over time
- 2 permanent ground water testing probes installed
- 60 restoration projects on members farms along 14km of waterways with a total of 50,000 plants
