Ellesmere Sustainable Agriculture provides grassroots connection and representation, promotes innovation and environmental responsibility, maintains great relationships with regulators and stakeholders and informs and tests policy to create a momentum for change.
Resource Management: ESAI focus on managing and informing shared resources like water, soil, and biodiversity. Farmers who join can learn about and implement sustainable practices that benefit their farms and the overall environment.
Knowledge Sharing: Catchment groups like ESAI offer a platform for farmers to share expertise, experiences, and innovative techniques across a variety of interest groups and individuals. This exchange of knowledge can improve farm productivity, sustainability and excellent outcomes.
Access to Resources: ESAI membership can provide access to resources such as funding, equipment, technologies or expertise that individual farmers might not easily access on their own.
Regulatory Compliance: Through workshops and events ESAI can help farmers navigate complex regulations regarding land and water use and offer guidance on compliance and help in adopting practices that meet regulatory standards.
Networking: Joining a catchment group allows farmers to expand their network, fostering relationships with other local farmers, researchers, policymakers, and industry experts. This networking can lead to collaborations and opportunities for growth.
Collective Action: Working together as a group, farmers can tackle larger environmental issues that affect the region. They can collectively address issues like water quality and availability, erosion, biosecurity issues or invasive species more effectively.
Support and Community: Farming can be isolating at times. ESAI can offer a sense of community and support, where farmers can find encouragement, advice, and assistance from others facing similar challenges.
Research and Development: ESAI committee members and staff often collaborate with research institutions and local authorities to keep up to date with latest research and science in turn enabling farmers to stay updated with findings and technological advancements beneficial for their farms.
Joining ESAI offers farmers a chance to be part of a community focused on sustainable and efficient farming practices while addressing shared challenges in the Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora area.
david.tinaku@esai.co.nz
021 241 3549
jo.tinaku@esai.co.nz
021 030 4783
Ellesmere farming has a rich history.
Farmers are often inter-generational and fiercely protective and proud of the land they work on.
A group of Ellesmere farmers joined forces in the 1990s in response to the increasing compliance and consenting regulations around farming.
In 1999, the Southbridge Water Users Group was established to advocate on behalf of Ellesmere farmers around irrigation issues.
As the number and type of farmer members grew, the organisation evolved and in 2014 was renamed Ellesmere Sustainable Agriculture to reflect the wide variety of issues farmers were facing, beyond irrigation challenges.
