Welcome | Mihi

The Centre for the Study of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CSAFE) is a transdisciplinary research centre at the University of Otago, within the Department of Geography under the Division of Humanities.

Research undertaken through CSAFE is targeted at the interface between social and environmental sciences. This interface is explored through the dynamics of agricultural sustainability.

Vision and Mission
Te Tūtoro/Te Whakatakanga

CSAFE’s vision is for improved and more sustainable economic, environmental and social wellbeing in New Zealand. 

CSAFE’s mission is to discover and promote effective, practical pathways to sustainable land use, food and fibre production, and wild food harvesting. This will be achieved through innovative bicultural and trans-disciplinary research of social-ecological systems, and by training students, our future researchers, environmental managers and policy makers to the highest international standards.

Achieving our Vision
Tutukutia o Mātou Whakatakanga

CSAFE’s research identifies practical pathways to enhancing social, environmental and economic wellbeing through discovery of sustainable food production and harvesting strategies, and efficient environmental management. This will be achieved by:

• A trans-disciplinary approach: several disciplines working together to solve complex socio-ecological problems
• A focus on feedback between people, land and markets
• Discovering knowledge and tools to empower farming families and wild food gatherers to act in a sustainable way
• Research of effective governance initiatives that capture the potential of all stakeholders to make food and fibre production and wild food gathering sustainable

Our Future – Our Relationships
Te Wā e Heke Mai Nei – Ngā Hononga

CSAFE is working towards enhancing relationships with other researchers within the University of Otago, and with researchers nationally and internationally in the areas of:

• Sustainable land use (production landscapes)
• Ecological resilience indicators in production landscapes
• Governance issues surrounding land use
• Adaptive co-management and ecosystem management
• Bicultural partnership models for science and management
• Energy use on productive land

Click here to download the CSAFE brochure