Reconnecting Kiwis with our food & farmers: nationwide open farm day returns in March
Urban Kiwis will get to experience where their food starts when Open Farms, New Zealand’s nationwide open farm day, returns on Sunday March 21st 2021.
Now in its second year, Open Farms is a grassroots initiative that supports farmers to host open days for urban Kiwis. The first event saw 3,500 people visit 45 farms across the country – ranging from high-country sheep stations, to permaculture orchards, dairy farms and even an indoor microgreens producer in central Wellington.
Open Farms launches with a call-to-action for farmers across all food and fibre sectors - visit the website and register to host an open day. Visitor registrations will open in late January.
“We built Open Farms because we believe that every Kiwi should have access to a genuine on-farm experience. To get there, we’ve streamlined hosting for farmers - all the guides and resources are in one place and Open Farms will manage all visitor marketing and registration” says project founder Daniel Eb.
Through the website, farmers post an Open Farms event, set and track their visitor numbers and download a host handbook covering health & safety, activity ideas, checklists and more.
Events on-the-day differ by farm but can include anything from farm walks to animal displays, conservation tours, compost-making, fruit picking and more.
“The research shows that getting on farm changes how we view our role in the food system” says Eb. “72% of visitors left a farm wanting to buy food direct from a farmer and 64% were more willing to pay a premium for sustainably grown food. This the right trajectory for citizens, farmers and our environment.”
North Auckland sheep & beef farmer Nicky Berger is one host looking forward to hosting an open day and helping Kiwis connect with their food. “We take a lot of pride in producing nutritious food for our urban cousins and caring for the land. It’s a passion worth sharing and we’re really excited to open the family farm come March 21st.”
Sam McIvor, CEO of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, says that creating opportunities for Kiwis to connect with farming and food production has never been more important. “The primary sector is being called on to step-up and lead New Zealand’s Covid recovery, people are looking for ways to support sustainable farming and our farmers also want to connect and demonstrate how we grow the nation’s food and manage our environment. Having a platform to connect customers and producers together is critical – that’s why we’ve supported Open Farms since its inception and continue to encourage sheep & beef farmers to get involved.”
Steve Penno, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Director Investment Programmes, says this is a great opportunity for Kiwis wanting a taste of farm life. “It’s often easy to forget about where our food comes from. This open day will give visitors a real insight into how farmers are producing food for New Zealand and the world, while caring for our environment. For some, it might even pique their interest and mean a new career in the food and fibres sector. It’s an exciting time to join the sector, and MPI is encouraging people to check out opportunities on the Opportunity Grows Here website.”
Open Farms 2021 is backed by three partners - Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund.
For more information, prospective farmer hosts and visitors can visit www.openfarms.co.nz.