Queenstown food and farming entrepreneur Carlos Bagrie’s just won the 2024 Nuffield Farming Scholarship.
One of the most prestigious accolades in global agriculture, awarded to leaders and innovators in the primary sector, the Royalburn Station co-owner was presented with the scholarship by outgoing Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor in Wellington last Tuesday night.
Bagrie, who also co-founded retail food business My Food Bag with his wife, Nadia Lim, was one of only four recipients this year.
He describes it as a ‘‘life-changing opportunity’’.
Bagrie will travel around the world for 18 weeks next year, including to an international ‘scholars conference’ in Brazil in March and then on a five-week tour covering four continents, exploring agricultural contexts, practices, strengths and challenges.
Additionally, he’ll select an area of personal interest for an all-expenses-paid trip — the fifth-generation farmer’s hoping to visit China, the
United States, Netherlands and Germany to research large-scale, direct-to-market food production and zero-waste circular farming solutions.
Of the win, he says the timing ‘‘couldn’t be better’’ for Royalburn.
‘‘We’ve reached a pivotal phase in our growth and the opportunity to explore some of the world’s most innovative farms is very exciting.
‘‘There will no doubt be ideas and initiatives that we can bring back to New Zealand, integrate them into Royalburn, and share that knowledge and experience with other farmers throughout NZ.’’
