A new video from Rabobank shows how a community of Southwest Otago farmers have taken it upon themselves to improve the water quality of the Pomohaka Catchment.
Blake Holgate, rural manager sustainable farm systems at Rabobank, went to the Pomohaka River to meet with a community of farmers working to improve the river’s water quality.
Holgate says the farmers have found their environmental stance does not conflict with their farming practices; they have the potential to be both profitable and sustainable.
“You’ll be hard-pressed to find a community that’s doing a better job of cleaning up their river than this one in the Pomohaka Catchment.” says Holgate.
Water scientists have been testing the waterways around the catchment. Whilst the first results may have been disheartening, the farmers saw it as an opportunity to do better.
Dr Terry Broad from Eco-Dynamic Systems says up until the water-testing, the famers had no way to measure their impact on the catchment.
With a better understanding, farmers are taking big steps to improve the water quality of the Pomohaka Catchment.
One such farmer, Peter Adam, farm manager at Wilden Station in West Otago, has spent the past winter installing a new water scheme that gives stock access to fresh water away from waterways.
Keeping stock out of and away from rivers and streams is important to improve and maintain the water quality of the catchment.
The water scheme is expensive and time-consuming, but Adam believes it will be worth it, both from a business perspective and an environmental one.
Watch the video below for more about farmers helping the Pomohaka Catchment.
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