Reflections from the Nuffield Global Focus Program

Over five weeks, the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust Global Focus Program took our group across New Zealand, Canada, the USA, Kenya and Tasmania. It was a whirlwind tour of agricultural systems, landscapes, businesses and ideas — and a rare opportunity to learn from farmers, agribusiness leaders, policymakers and communities operating in very different contexts.

Here are my reflections from each stop.

New Zealand

The first stop on our Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust Global Focus Program was a week in New Zealand. We toured the North Island, from Auckland to Hamilton, then Rotorua, Taupo, Hawkes Bay and Napier.

Despite years of conditioning, I managed to put my biases against the All Blacks and Richie McCaw aside and was seriously impressed by the calibre of people and sophistication of the businesses we encountered.

Some of my key takeaways and highlights:

The best model I’ve seen for growing and sustaining an industry: Zespri International is New Zealand’s single exporter of kiwifruit to the world. They invest heavily in genetics, developing kiwifruit varieties like SunGold which are genuinely far tastier, and consumers are willing to pay more for them. These varieties are then grown under licence, limiting supply, ensuring good prices and protecting growers. Being a single exporter means they can use their market power to negotiate with retailers and ensure a consistently good product is shipped. I was blown away by the simplicity and, at the same time, sophistication of Zespri. Kiwifruit isn’t even from New Zealand — it’s indigenous to China — but through the brilliance of Zespri they’ve claimed it as their own.

A great example of how to be a price maker, not a price taker: We spent a few hours with Rockit Global CEO Mark O'Donnell and members of Rockit’s senior leadership. It’s a very cool company built around a new variety of snack-sized apples sold in tubes, packed like a tube of tennis balls. They’re marketed brilliantly, and instead of being viewed as a fruit, they compete with chocolate bars and confectionery. They’re obviously sold at a premium, as opposed to just buying a bag of apples. They’ve expanded across Asia, Europe, North America and Australia.

Climate impacts are being felt: Growing regions are shifting, with farming activity expanding further south in the country as it warms up. Major weather events are taking a toll, whether it be New Zealand’s worst-ever flood in the Esk Valley in 2023, which covered thousands of hectares of apple orchards and vineyards in silt, or more regular frosts that wipe out kiwifruit harvests.

I can’t thank Nuffield New Zealand, Lisa Rogers, James Allen, Kylie Leonard, Rachel Baker, and our other generous hosts in New Zealand enough.

Canada

Week two of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust Global Focus Program was Canada.

What a whirlwind. From bustling Toronto to the stunning landscapes of Nova Scotia, our group of 10 Nuffield Scholars was treated to an incredible visit, thanks to our amazing hosts Karen Daynard, Josh Oulton and Lauren Park.

We dove deep into everything from lobster fishing to cannabis cultivation, wild blueberries, maple syrup production, and more. Along the way, we met inspiring farmers, business leaders and politicians.

Here are some of my biggest takeaways:

The rise of local food systems: In Nova Scotia, 20% of people buy from local producers, and farming feels woven into the community fabric. Farmers are celebrated, not criticised, with strong community support and organisations like Farmers' Markets of Nova Scotia advocating for them. It was striking compared to New Zealand, where farmers told us they felt disconnected and were perceived negatively by the public.

I’m still digging into the reason for this, but I think it’s a combination of:
a) farms in New Zealand being more corporatised and operating at a larger scale, with farmers being perceived as far wealthier than the everyday Kiwi,
b) negative public perceptions of the impact of farming on the environment, and
c) the fact that in New Zealand most top-class produce is exported, with the lower-grade produce sold onto their domestic market.

I welcome any additional or opposing views on this.

Climate change is hitting hard: From polar vortexes destroying crops to fishery areas vanishing due to warming waters, the effects are everywhere. There was no debate from farmers about climate change — they unanimously raised it as a key challenge to their businesses. A maple farmer, Chris, bluntly told us that his area will become completely unsuitable for maple syrup production. Yet some industries, like wine, are finding opportunity in rising temperatures, embracing hybrid varieties and expanding rapidly.

Next up, we hit the road in Nebraska, USA. Expecting miles of corn, soybeans, and a few Trump 2024 signs — I wasn’t disappointed.

Nebraska, USA

Stop three on our Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust Global Focus Program was Nebraska, USA.

From the rolling sandhills in the west to vast stretches of irrigated farmland over the Ogallala Aquifer in the east, Nebraska showcased the sheer scale and intensity of American agriculture.

The highlight: A night at Jaclyn Wilson’s Flying Diamond Ranch — complete with the biggest, and possibly best, steak I’ve ever had, followed by a night under the stars. Pre-dawn ATV rides over the sandhills for coffee and breakfast, followed by a Wim Hof-style ice bath in a cattle trough.

My biggest takeaway: Nebraska’s agriculture is at a scale and intensity that I’d never seen before.

35,000-head cattle feedlots. An 11,000-head dairy milking 900 cows an hour. Endless miles of corn, soybeans and sugar beets.

Though impressive in scale, seeing these operations was in some ways conflicting. Hormone implants, rapid feeding, and the inevitable cycle of slaughter. However, the operations were efficient, clean, and run by good people — as far as keeping animals in confinement goes, I don’t think you could do it much better.

A hard truth? Despite my initial skepticism, I began to see the argument for feedlots: they save land and lower greenhouse gas emissions through greater efficiency. With a growing global population and increasing demand for meat, feedlots may have a necessary place in our global food system, even if it challenges our ideals of sustainability.

Lessons for Rangelands Regeneration in Zimbabwe: When I think of the work we’re doing in Zimbabwe, Nebraska highlights that simply managing cattle better and allowing land to rest isn’t enough. Many rangelands, including those in Beitbridge, are overstocked by 500%+ and pastoralists are not achieving the economic benefits they should. Perhaps intensifying and scaling feedlotting is part of the solution to protect these lands?

Huge thanks to our Nebraskan host, Bart Ruth — a true legend.

Kenya

From Nebraska, we flew to Nairobi. I expected the familiarity of Africa to feel like home, but Kenya turned out to be one of the most challenging and thought-provoking countries in my Nuffield journey.

This was my first time visiting Kenya. I had read about its booming tech scene — often called the Silicon Savannah — with an influx of venture capital and a wave of startups driving innovation. I was also familiar with Kenya’s groundbreaking adoption of mobile money, which a remarkable 96% of households now use as their primary payment method.

Kenya has been a source of inspiration for our work at Rangelands Regeneration in Zimbabwe. From the innovations of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy to the community-driven approaches of the Northern Rangelands Trust, Kenyan organisations are leading the way at the intersection of conservation and community development.

As a Zimbabwean, I was curious to see Kenya up close and personal. From the outside, I had assumed that Kenya had managed to overcome some of the stubborn challenges that many African nations — including my own — are still wrestling with.

Here are my key takeaways:

1. Agriculture is being impacted by the legacy of colonisation

Issues about redistribution of land, restitution, and settlement of historical grievances still persist. The colonial-era land ownership structures placed vast tracts of fertile land in the hands of a few, while many communities were displaced or marginalised. Decades later, this continues to fuel tensions.

I noticed that successful farms in Kenya make significant investments in their social licence to operate. Creating jobs and contributing to the economy is not enough, and they are required to constantly justify their existence by investing in community initiatives. This is perhaps working now whilst the profit margins allow them to do so, but is it a viable and sustainable long-term solution? If restitution and redistribution of land has not gone far enough, what still needs to happen and what would be the implications for Kenyan agriculture and its people?

2. Automation vs employment: a complex tradeoff

Although Africa’s labour costs are low, automation and mechanisation could increase efficiency in agriculture — but at the expense of jobs. Many Kenyan businesses have resisted automation, choosing to maintain employment over efficiency.

This raises tough questions for Africa’s agricultural future. Could this resistance to automation hold back our ability to sustain growing populations? High unemployment across the continent means any job is a good job, but sticking with low-productivity models might actually perpetuate poverty for many.

I’m still unpacking this issue, and found it fascinating.

From Kenya, we headed to Tasmania for the final leg of our world agricultural tour.

Tasmania

The last stop on our Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust Global Focus Program was Tasmania.

We kicked off with the Nuffield Australia National Conference, followed by a couple of days touring innovative farms and businesses around Launceston. Tasmania, as expected, delivered: clinical farmers running slick operations, strong adoption of technology, and a growing commitment to sustainability.

But what really struck me as we wrapped up this incredible five-week journey was the bond I’d formed with the other nine scholars. I always knew they’d be exceptional — but I didn’t realise just how much I’d learn from their experiences, their challenges, and the way they navigate life.

Many people may never experience the level of camaraderie and kinship we did, and for that, I’m beyond grateful.

A massive thank you to Jodie Redcliffe, Tessa Dimond and Carol Millar from Nuffield Australia for coordinating the entire GFP experience.