Healthy soil is foundational to New Zealand's agricultural productivity and environmental outcomes. Soil health grants fund regenerative farming, carbon sequestration, erosion prevention, freshwater protection, and farm environment planning. This guide covers the key funding sources.
MPI funds agricultural sustainability:
- Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF): Research, innovation, and on-farm sustainability
- He Waka Eke Noa: Agricultural emissions reduction including soil carbon
- Farm Environment Plans: Funded planning for environmental outcomes
- Erosion control: Hill country erosion funding
MfE funds soil health through environmental programmes:
- Freshwater management: Riparian planting and nutrient management
- Climate adaptation: Soil carbon and land management for climate
- Biodiversity Fund: Soil biodiversity and native ecosystem restoration
Beef + Lamb NZ funds:
- Environment and sustainability: Soil health and farm environmental practice
- Sustainable Farming Fund: On-farm research and innovation
- Farmer education: Soil testing, cover crops, and regenerative practice
DairyNZ funds dairy farm sustainability:
- Environmental compliance: Nutrient management and soil health
- Research: Soil health and pasture management
- Effluent systems: Soil protection through proper effluent management
Horticultural soil health:
- Soil biology: Composting and biological soil health for horticulture
- Research: Soil health in intensive vegetable and fruit production
Regional councils fund soil health through:
- Regional environment plans: Compliance and incentive programmes
- Riparian fencing and planting: Soil and water protection
- Hill country erosion: Poplar and willow planting for erosion control
- Nutrient management: Farmer support for nutrient plans
Soil science research:
- AgResearch: Soil biology, carbon, and pastoral science
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research: Soil mapping, carbon, and restoration
- Plant and Food Research: Soil health in horticultural systems
Funders backing soil restoration:
- Tindall Foundation: Regenerative agriculture and land stewardship
- Community foundations: Farming community environmental projects
- Banking environment funds: ANZ Sustainable Finance, Westpac sustainability
Composting grants:
- MfE waste minimisation: Composting programmes diverting organic waste
- Councils: Compost programmes for households and community gardens
- Gaming trusts: Community composting and sustainability
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Soil baseline: Current soil carbon, structure, and biology data
- Farm environment plan: Documented environmental management approach
- Outcomes: Measurable improvement targets (% organic matter, carbon, erosion reduction)
- Freshwater: Riparian fencing and nutrient outcomes
- Regenerative practice: Cover crops, reduced tillage, biological inputs
- Farmer network: Demonstration farm with knowledge sharing to other farmers
- Research basis: Evidence-based soil health approach
- Māori land: Soil health on Māori freehold land as priority
Tahua's grants management platform helps farming and environmental organisations manage soil health grant applications across MPI, MfE, commodity bodies, regional councils, and environmental foundations, tracking soil carbon, erosion, and freshwater outcomes.