At an on-site field day, partners, growers, officials, and local community representatives gathered to hear about the latest results, highlighting how life beneath the soil could be the key to rejuvenating intensively farmed land.
In partnership with Woolworths, LeaderBrand, and Plant and Food Research, Regenerative farming trials in Gisborne uncovered promising opportunities for sustainable vegetable farming in New Zealand.
These trials, launched in June 2022 with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) support, focused on using compost and cover crops to revitalise soils in intensive vegetable farming. The early findings already delivered valuable insights that could transform nationwide soil health and sustainability practices.
After just over a year of field trials, there were signs of improving soil health. Scientists have seen a surge in soil “breathing” at the trial sites, especially following the planting of cover crops. This indicated that microbes and organisms had returned to a ‘set up shop,’ which would benefit nutrient cycling and crop resilience.
“While it’s still early, the signs are encouraging. We’ve seen improved spinach and mesclun yields at one site, and there is also evidence of improved organic nitrogen supply, which could reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers over time,” said Matt Norris, a scientist at Plant and Food Research.
“A key focus is to increase soil organic matter levels. We're importing carbon in compost and growing it onsite with cover crops”.
The soil structure also improved at a second site, where corn and brassicas like broccoli are grown. The soil had become softer and friable, storing more moisture and allowing roots to access essential nutrients more efficiently.
“Seeing these changes in the soil this quickly into the trial is exciting,” said Catherine Langabeer, Head of Sustainability at Woolworths New Zealand.
“It’s more than just crop yields; it’s about creating a soil system that can sustain itself and our food supply over time. We’re so pleased to invest in solutions supporting healthy soil as a foundation for everything we grow.”
As the teams worked through the trials, some other valuable lessons surfaced.
Stuart Davis, LeaderBrand’s Sustainability Manager, added that the research plots were in demonstration-scale areas on two farms.
“Managing those areas has highlighted some practical issues that must be overcome to incorporate regenerative practices into a cropping rotation,” said Davis.
“These include issues like establishing consistent sources of compost free of weed seeds and other contaminants, managing the timing of termination and decomposition of cover crops, and crop health issues related to choice of cover crop.”
As the project progresses, the team will conduct a detailed soil analysis in early 2025 to fully assess the two-year impacts of these regenerative techniques and measure fundamental shifts in soil health.
