
The A Lighter Touch Podcast
A Lighter Touch
The landscape is changing for New Zealand’s plant-based growers, with market access, pest and disease resistance, consumer demand, and regulatory shifts all impacting the way food is grown in Aotearoa.
In the A Lighter Touch podcast, we share knowledge to help Kiwi growers find new tools and solutions to manage pests and diseases in their crops, with a lighter environmental touch.
Join us as we sow the seeds to help growers move from agrichemical reliance to agroecological crop protection – sustainable farming that works with nature.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 The A Lighter Touch Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The A Lighter Touch Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The A Lighter Touch Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The A Lighter Touch Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

EP1: Extension Best Practice
The A Lighter Touch Podcast
02/28/24 • 17 min
This is episode one in a three-part series inspired by a webinar we hosted, titled “Strategies to encourage grower adoption of new technologies.”
In the episode, we hear from four experts on knowledge transfer, or "extension" to farmers and growers. We cover what is it, the challenges involved, and how to do it well.
Resources from this episode:
- Webinar recording by A Lighter Touch
- Extension resources by Enablers of Change
- Rural Extension Innovation Systems Journal
Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP5: Biodiversity in Action
The A Lighter Touch Podcast
05/28/24 • 25 min
This is episode two in a two-part series inspired by a forum we hosted at our demonstration farm in Pukekohe, Auckland. In it, we’ll be exploring why biodiversity matters on farm and the role it plays in pest and disease management.
Links to the full presentations referenced in this episode:
- Dr Charles (Merf) Merfield – Why a biodiverse landscape is important
- James Gardiner – Implementing biodiversity projects on NZ farms
- Dr Brad Howlett – Native plantings that support beneficial insect biodiversity
- Olivia Prouse – Boosting beneficials using biodiverse planting on vegetable farms
- Michael Arnold – “A Lighter Touch,” the LeaderBrand story
Plus, you can download a plant species list from the biodiversity planting in vegetable farms project here.
Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP4: Biodiversity 101 – What is it and why is it important?
The A Lighter Touch Podcast
05/28/24 • 15 min
This is episode one in a two-part series inspired by a forum we hosted at our demonstration farm in Pukekohe, Auckland. In it, we’ll be exploring why biodiversity matters on farm and the role it plays in pest and disease management.
Links to the full presentations referenced in this episode:
- Dr Charles (Merf) Merfield – Why a biodiverse landscape is important
- James Gardiner – Implementing biodiversity projects on NZ farms
- Dr Brad Howlett – Native plantings that support beneficial insect biodiversity
- Olivia Prouse – Boosting beneficials using biodiverse planting on vegetable farms
- Michael Arnold – “A Lighter Touch,” the LeaderBrand story
Plus, you can download a plant species list from the biodiversity planting in vegetable farms project here.
Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP3: Defining your Extension Project’s Target Audience
The A Lighter Touch Podcast
02/28/24 • 14 min
This is the final episode in a three-part series inspired by a webinar we hosted, titled “Strategies to encourage grower adoption of new technologies.”
In the episode, we walk through how to define the target audience for your Extension programme. We hear predominantly from Dr Geoff Kaine, Senior Researcher at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research as he describes the 'farm context' for your innovation, and how to establish unique audience segments for better targeting.
Resources from this episode:
- Webinar recording by A Lighter Touch
Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP2: Bennett’s Hierarchy – An Extension Tool
The A Lighter Touch Podcast
02/28/24 • 17 min
This is episode two in a three-part series inspired by a webinar we hosted, titled “Strategies to encourage grower adoption of new technologies.”
In the episode, we dive into an extension framework called "Bennett’s Hierarchy" used to design, monitor and evaluate effective extension programmes. We hear from Denise Bewsell, Principal at Scarlatti.
Resources from this episode:
- Webinar recording by A Lighter Touch
- Bennett's Hierarchy Visual Resource by A Lighter Touch
Looking for more tools, tips, and resources on sustainable agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand? Visit A Lighter Touch's website, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Linkedin.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FAQ
How many episodes does The A Lighter Touch Podcast have?
The A Lighter Touch Podcast currently has 5 episodes available.
What topics does The A Lighter Touch Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Earth Sciences, Podcasts, Education, Horticulture, Science, New Zealand and Sustainability.
What is the most popular episode on The A Lighter Touch Podcast?
The episode title 'EP5: Biodiversity in Action' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The A Lighter Touch Podcast?
The average episode length on The A Lighter Touch Podcast is 18 minutes.
When was the first episode of The A Lighter Touch Podcast?
The first episode of The A Lighter Touch Podcast was released on Feb 28, 2024.
Show more FAQ

Show more FAQ