The A Lighter Touch Podcast

EP5: Biodiversity in Action

This is episode two in a two-part series inspired by a forum we hosted at our demonstration farm in Pukekohe, Auckland. In it, we’ll be exploring why biodiversity matters on farm and the role it plays in pest and disease management. Links to the full presentations referenced in this episode: * Dr Charles (Merf) Merfield – Why a biodiverse landscape is important [https://youtu.be/3pEo9p1C5r8] * James Gardiner – Implementing biodiversity projects on NZ farms [https://youtu.be/cW5UEqrmZZM] * Dr Brad Howlett – Native plantings that support beneficial insect biodiversity [https://youtu.be/NyAEXOG99rg] * Olivia Prouse – Boosting beneficials using biodiverse planting on vegetable farms [https://youtu.be/mic00qhhndg] * Michael Arnold – “A Lighter Touch,” the LeaderBrand story [https://youtu.be/vv8iz7oEoZ0] Plus, you can download a plant species list from the biodiversity planting in vegetable farms project here [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ALT-Biodiversity-Forum-Resource-DIGITALfinal.pdf]. Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/], sign up for our newsletter [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/keep-updated/], or follow us on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-lighter-touch-new-zealand/]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

EP4: Biodiversity 101 – What is it and why is it important?

This is episode one in a two-part series inspired by a forum we hosted at our demonstration farm in Pukekohe, Auckland. In it, we’ll be exploring why biodiversity matters on farm and the role it plays in pest and disease management. Links to the full presentations referenced in this episode: * Dr Charles (Merf) Merfield – Why a biodiverse landscape is important [https://youtu.be/3pEo9p1C5r8] * James Gardiner – Implementing biodiversity projects on NZ farms [https://youtu.be/cW5UEqrmZZM] * Dr Brad Howlett – Native plantings that support beneficial insect biodiversity [https://youtu.be/NyAEXOG99rg] * Olivia Prouse – Boosting beneficials using biodiverse planting on vegetable farms [https://youtu.be/mic00qhhndg] * Michael Arnold – “A Lighter Touch,” the LeaderBrand story [https://youtu.be/vv8iz7oEoZ0] Plus, you can download a plant species list from the biodiversity planting in vegetable farms project here [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ALT-Biodiversity-Forum-Resource-DIGITALfinal.pdf]. Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/], sign up for our newsletter [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/keep-updated/], or follow us on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-lighter-touch-new-zealand/]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

EP3: Defining your Extension Project’s Target Audience

This is the final episode in a three-part series inspired by a webinar we hosted, titled “Strategies to encourage grower adoption of new technologies.” In the episode, we walk through how to define the target audience for your Extension programme. We hear predominantly from Dr Geoff Kaine, Senior Researcher at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research [https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/] as he describes the 'farm context' for your innovation, and how to establish unique audience segments for better targeting. Resources from this episode: * Webinar recording [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/resource/a-lighter-touch-extension-webinar/] by A Lighter Touch Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/], sign up for our newsletter [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/keep-updated/], or follow us on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-lighter-touch-new-zealand/]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

EP2: Bennett’s Hierarchy – An Extension Tool

This is episode two in a three-part series inspired by a webinar we hosted, titled “Strategies to encourage grower adoption of new technologies.” In the episode, we dive into an extension framework called "Bennett’s Hierarchy" used to design, monitor and evaluate effective extension programmes. We hear from Denise Bewsell [https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-bewsell-7114a95a/], Principal at Scarlatti [https://scarlatti.co.nz/]. Resources from this episode: * Webinar recording [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/resource/a-lighter-touch-extension-webinar/] by A Lighter Touch * Bennett's Hierarchy Visual Resource [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bennetts-Hierarchy-visualisation.jpg] by A Lighter Touch Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/], sign up for our newsletter [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/keep-updated/], or follow us on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-lighter-touch-new-zealand/]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

EP1: Extension Best Practice

This is episode one in a three-part series inspired by a webinar we hosted, titled “Strategies to encourage grower adoption of new technologies.” In the episode, we hear from four experts on knowledge transfer, or "extension" to farmers and growers. We cover what is it, the challenges involved, and how to do it well. Resources from this episode: * Webinar recording [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/resource/a-lighter-touch-extension-webinar/] by A Lighter Touch * Extension resources [https://www.enablersofchange.com.au/?s=extension] by Enablers of Change * Rural Extension Innovation Systems Journal [https://www.apen.org.au/resources/rural-extension-and-innovation-systems-journal] Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/], sign up for our newsletter [https://a-lighter-touch.co.nz/keep-updated/], or follow us on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-lighter-touch-new-zealand/]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.