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The organisers of next year’s national open farm day are asking farmers in the Mahurangi district and Kaipara to sign up to host an event.
Now in its third year, Open Farms aims to reconnect Kiwis with the land, food and farmers. Next year’s event will be held on Sunday, March 12.
“It’s about getting urban people back out on-farm to experience where their food starts,” founder Daniel
Eb says. “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, honey producers and more.”
Eb says there is no lack of interest from urban-ites 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.”
Open Farms has made changes to make hosting easier, including a private event format for first-time hosts and a subsidy to help cover the farmer’s time.
Eb says there are tangible economic benefits to hosting.
“We’ve seen farmers use their open day to build team morale, hire new people or market a direct-to-customer business model.”
Open Farms 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 and Fibre Futures fund.
Info: www.openfarms.co.nz
