Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
rare. Hewett et al. ( 2005 ) for example suggested that New Zealand's exports of hor-
ticultural products have increased in value from $NZ 200 million to over $NZ 2 bil-
lion during the last 20 years. Fruit, flowers and vegetables are now exported from
New Zealand to over 100 countries. Far from horticulture being a sunset industry,
as viewed by some planners and analysts, these workers showed that science and in-
novation investment creates value for the local and national economy in New Zea-
land. Working at the cutting edge in many aspects of innovation, production, quality
maintenance, distribution and marketing places the horticultural industry of New
Zealand in the forefront as a world supplier of innovative products and cultivars.
Recently, Anon ( 2012b ) demonstrated that the annual contribution of fruit and veg-
etable to global trade exceeds $US 180 billion. Despite these huge volumes of fruit
and vegetables exported through world trade still 93 % are grown and consumed
locally. A recent comprehensive analysis however provides considerable detail as
to the financial, environmental and value of horticulture worldwide. As examples
of the importance of this trade, in 2010 the United States exported $US 10 billion
worth of fruit and nuts while Turkey, a recent entrant to horticultural exports, had a
trade in 2010 of $US 3.5 billion in these commodities alone. The Netherlands, one
of the traditional power houses of horticultural exports, had a trade in live plants,
bulbs and cut flowers worth $US 10 billion in 2010.
The need to invest in horticultural research and development is compelling
(Dixon 2010 ). The advantages to human health and wellbeing of diets balanced
with a high intake of fruits and vegetables is widely accepted (see elsewhere in this
Trilogy) which emphasises the need to have such produce available to households
year-round and at affordable prices—neither of which can be taken for granted. The
need to deliver safe food free of human pathogens and other contaminants is also
paramount but again cannot be taken for granted given the food safety compro-
mises that have occurred globally over the past decade. Furthermore, the increase
in the occurrence of significant climatic events, such as major droughts and storms,
threaten many elements in the supply chain of horticultural crops some of which
can be moderated through the application of research findings aimed at improv-
ing factors such as crop water use (Cairns 2009 ). Finally, demands from modern
societies for sustainable production practices and pesticide-free produce will only
be critically dependent on soundly-based research and development programmes.
Ongoing investment in research and development of horticultural crops and produc-
tion practices will be critical if these ongoing challenges are to be addressed in a
meaningful and timely way.
Nowhere is this more important than in Asia and Africa (Rosegrant et al. 2007 ).
Resource scarcity, particularly of water, will increasingly constrain growth in food
production, and climatic stresses will likely reduce farmers' abilities to produce
crops. Coincidentally, however, there will be a growing demand for high-value
foods, such as livestock, fish, vegetables, and fruits. The consequences of these
pressures will adversely affect food security and obstruct the goals for human well-
being, slowing progress in reducing malnutrition, especially in children. Horticul-
ture has a particularly important role as highlighted by the United Nations High
Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations, J. Sampiao in his opening address
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