A well-known New Zealand food producer sponsoring an A Lighter Touch biocontrol project wants to support growers adopting sustainable crop protection practices.
Barker’s of Geraldine sourcing manager Craig France says supporting growers to produce food in a sustainable way is very much a part of the long-term sourcing strategy of Barkers and it’s international parent company Andros.
“Fundamentally, I think increasing biodiversity in growing systems has got to be beneficial.”
Barker’s of Geraldine sourcing manager Craig France
Barker’s involvement with the A Lighter Touch-Strawberry Growers New Zealand biocontrol project focusing on the control of thrips came about through a conversation with a strawberry supplier in Auckland. “I asked our grower what are the biggest production problem that they are facing at the moment? He said thrips and told me about the biocontrol project.”
The project is focusing on the control of thrips, in particular the species Frankliniella intonsa (intonsa), which continues to be a limiting pest of strawberries in mid-summer in the Auckland and Waikato regions. In addition to Barker’s, Bioforce is also supporting the project through provision of the biological control agents (BCAs).
The first stage involves landscape scouting for intonsa thrips to determine which plants the thrips population builds up on prior to migrating onto strawberry crops in mid-summer. The second part tests the effectiveness of three different predatory insects, or BCAs, in controlling pest thrips, particularly intonsa.
Craig says the project was a good fit for Barker’s. “If we can help the grower and other suppliers with solving the problem, that’s great, and it happens to be a very nice regenerative solution where the aim is to augment natural enemies to help fight the battle.”
Craig France says regenerative farming is a key part of Barkers long-term sourcing strategy.
“Everybody defines regenerative farming a little bit differently, but, you know, it’s about being sustainable, leaving the place better than what you found it. The Andros Group is a family-owned company and family businesses often have quite long-term visions, and it’s really a part of that.”
Barker’s of Geraldine, located in South Canterbury, wants to support the growers who supply its produce in adopting sustainable crop protection practices. Credit: Barker’s.
Craig says that for him, it’s about problem-solving and helping growers do the best job that they can possibly do.
“If we can sell more product and buy more New Zealand produce, that is a great story. But I think the fundamental core is that we want our growers to have a sustainable business.”
Barkers of Geraldine gets a lot of questions from customers about where products are sourced, he says.
“That’s super important to us to make sure that we’re buying as much New Zealand produce as we possibly can. The way our produce is grown is important to us and our consumers”.
That’s part of why the company sees the thrips project as a good fit to support, he says. “We have a fundamental belief in the benefits of increasing biodiversity, and that’s very much in alignment with the thrips project
“For us it’s about partnering with our growers to find sustainable solutions, and leaving the place in a better way than what you found it. This includes soil health and the general environment. For a company like Barkers, which has been around for 55 years now, and Andros has been around a lot longer, it fits super well with what we do,” Craig says.
