Sustainability and stewardship

The New Zealand Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme develops emerging agribusiness leaders to help shape the future of New Zealand agribusiness and rural affairs. Lincoln University has been involved with this leaders programme since 1979 when it was launched with a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, USA.The process that started this project was an outcome of numerous factors. Firstly my interest in non-formal learning in rural areas, and experiences at Stage I of the N.Z. Rural Leadership Programme. My selected topic initially was tuberculosis and I started looking through some old books written in the 1930 - 40's to put some of the aspects in a historical context. What transpired was my growing awareness of the fact that nothing much had changed. The books I found, written by farmers and people involved with farming, outlined their very real concern for farming, the way it was heading and its industrialisation. My reading continued into more recent publications and a pattern emerged. We are seeing some of this pattern shift in New Zealand already; local body reorganisation, education and environmental issues. The overwhelming picture that emerged however, was how all things are inter-related. So this became a theme which I have continued in my project