Open Farms organisers are still on the hunt for host farmers for next year's event. Photo / Supplied
Open Farms organisers are still on the hunt for host farmers for next year's event. Photo / Supplied
As the number of urban families interested in finding out more about where their food comes from grows rapidly, the Open Farms initiative is looking for more farmers interested in hosting an open day on March 12, to keep up with the demand.
Open Farms founder Daniel Eb says there is no lack of interest from urban Kiwis to get on-farm.
“We book out half of our capacity in 24 hours, and more than 80 per cent of events are overbooked. To give more Kiwis a chance to reconnect with their rural roots, we’re asking more farmers to host with us.”
To make hosting easier, Open Farms have offered some more support, including a private event format for first-time hosts and a subsidy to help cover farmers’ time.
“We made these changes to help reduce some of the anxiety around hosting and show farmers that we value their contribution to the project. We can’t do it without them,” Eb says.
Open Farms also helps farmers to plan their day, manage all visitor marketing and registrations, and set and track visitor numbers.
Now in its third year, Open Farms is about getting urban Kiwis out on farm to experience where their food originates from.
“In the two years we’ve run Open Farms, more than 7000 people have visited 82 farms, from sheep and beef stations to permaculture orchards, dairy farms and honey producers,” Eb says.
The event not only helps to bridge the urban-rural divide, but people feel more connected to farmers, view sustainability in farming more positively and better understand the complexities of farming, according to Eb.
The event also had a positive impact on host farmers.
More than 80 per cent of Open Farms events are overbooked. Photo / Supplied
“Farmers feel a renewed sense of pride when seeing their farm through fresh eyes or sparking a passion for food production in others... We’ve seen farmers use their open day to build team morale, hire new people or market a direct-to-customer business model,” says Eb.
“If nothing else, it’s just good fun [for] hosts and visitors.”
The initiative 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.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief executive Sam McIvor says having a platform to connect customers and producers together was critical.
“The primary sector is being called on to [...] 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.
“We’ve supported Open Farms since its inception and continue to encourage sheep and beef farmers to get involved.”
