There is a world of resources online for farmers who, in some cases, need training to fully avail of them, according to Catherine Murphy who manages the Smart Rural Project at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT).
International researchers will meet to plan mobile device training courses for farmers across Europe in CIT, at James Barry Exhibition Centre on Tuesday, April 25 at 9.30am.
The planned tuition is part of the Erasmus+ funded project, Smart Rural, which trains farmers in the use of mobile devices. The initial research, which established training requirements, was conducted in Spain, Austria and France, as well as here in Ireland.
The Irish research was carried out by CIT which delivers a BSc in Agriculture, and a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture, in partnership with Teagasc.
Murphy said that the training in mobile devices and usage will open up many new useful applications for the farming community.
Our research shows that farmers are keen to avail of new technologies to support farm efficiency. The training course will support farmers who want to learn more about farming apps.
While many people have access to IT expertise through their jobs, farmers without young people in the house may have less support, she said. While some farm families avail of the world of apps that are out there, and are also active on social media, others are in need of assistance.
The courses here in Ireland, which will run a couple of hours a day over eight weeks towards the end of this year, will be designed specifically to meet the needs of farmers in this country. The training will be free for all participants.
Anyone from the farming community interested in taking part in the training can email: [email protected]