Sustainable Management Framework Project Workshop

Sustainable Ag/Hort Management Systems Network (SAMSN) Press Release

27 March 2003
Sustainable Management Framework Project Workshop

The Sustainable Ag/Hort Management Systems Network (SAMSN) held an Intersectoral Workshop in Wellington on 19th March. Over 40 representatives of agricultural and horticultural industries and other key stakeholders attended the workshop.

With the assistance of a Sustainable Farming Fund grant the SAMSN network presented its research findings to date. These included a:

* Survey of International and New Zealand SMS/EMS/QA Programmes * A Review of Selected NZ QA and EMS Programmes

The workshop was also an opportunity for input to the future direction of the research, aimed at creating an 'information hub' containing best practice processes and contents of sustainable management systems (SMS) for agriculture and horticulture.

The project is not about creating a NZ Standard or system where 'One size fits all', rather it allows practitioner's to draw on the collective knowledge of systems that have already developed both Internationally and within New Zealand, says SAMSN Project Manager Karl Mischewski.

Kevin Steel from the Sustainable Farming Fund described the research project as "a pre-emptive approach to the future development of SMS/EMS/QA Programmes in New Zealand".

A second intersectoral workshop will be held later in the year to present further research findings.

ENDS

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