Joined by industry leaders at NIWA’s headquarters in Wellington, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced the $1.56 million spend on eight new projects provided through the Primary Industries Ministry’s Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Research Programme to help the agriculture and forestry sectors address climate challenges. Hon O’Connor stated that the latest projects will help researchers, the Government and farmers better understand and adapt to the effects of climate change. Two Scion projects that look at adapting to and mitigating wildfire risk and managing climate risk in the forestry sector were approved. The money is on top of the $229m investment the Government made in the farming sector through the Sustainable Land Use package. According to Hon O’Connor, the extra funding means more support for New Zealanders who want to innovate further so they can farm sustainably.