The Ministry of Primary Industries will soon be advised by a new technical advisory group which is being created to help them accelerate the use of smart agriculture technology.
Ministers Amy Adams and Nathan Guy made the announcement earlier this month at the Canterbury A&P Show.
"Technology has major potential to support higher productivity and more sustainable use of natural resources in farming," said Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
"It can be used in a wide range of applications such as using soil moisture sensors to fine-tune irrigation, monitoring animal health and fertility, and determining the perfect time to harvest fruit and crops. Monitoring and measuring is now an important part of managing natural resources sustainably.
"We know there are some exciting advances in agricultural science and technology coming from our CRIs and universities, as well as some great commercial tools already available. But for farmers, it can be difficult to know what tools are right for them, and to judge how much to invest. We want to understand how we can better support farmers to make those decisions."
The Government's $2 billion rollout of Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) and the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) is one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in New Zealand, and bringing improved connectivity to New Zealanders.
Membership of the group will be confirmed before the end of the year and have broad representation from across the primary industries.
Source: nzherald.co.nz