Having three nominees for the 2024 EIP-AGRI (European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture) Innovation Awards is testament to Irish innovation in agriculture, according to CAP Network Ireland project manager, James Claffey.
The Irish projects that made the shortlist for the Innovation Awards are: Sustainable Uplands Agri-environment Scheme (SUAS), Wicklow and Dublin Mountains; Illaun Farm-Forest Alliance, Co. Clare and Biodiversity Regeneration in a Dairying Environment (BRIDE), Regeneration in a Dairying Environment, Co. Cork, and Co. Waterford.
The EIP-AGRI operational groups and the projects they implement are great examples of the agricultural industry coming together to apply practical and innovative solutions to challenges they face in their everyday work, according to CAP Network Ireland.
The EU CAP Network is a forum through which national CAP networks; organisations administrations; researchers; entrepreneurs and practitioners can share knowledge and information about agriculture and rural policy.
Voting lines are open until May 3. People can vote for their favourite nominees on the EU CAP Network website.
Sustainable Uplands Agri-environment Scheme (SUAS), Wicklow and Dublin mountains
This operational group addresses the declining conditions of upland habitats in the Wicklow and Dublin mountains brought on by the increasing number of farmers moving away from grazing in the area.
The project introduced commonage groups, fostering collective management and integrating habitat management with livestock practices.
It also promoted techniques such as supplementary feeding and GPS tracking. Training courses and a payment system rewarding farmers for habitat management were developed.
The project has led to a shift in farmer attitudes towards habitat management, diversifying farm income alongside animal production.
The results are transferable to other upland regions. Farmers, ecologists and government agencies collaborated in the project’s development.
Illaun Farm-Forest Alliance, Co. Clare
This operational group has developed an innovative approach to farm forests in Ireland, fostering habitat restoration, improved biodiversity, social engagement and knowledge dissemination.
Pioneering a catchment-sensitive farming approach, the project collaborated closely with farmers to enhance forestry management, water quality and biodiversity.
Measures included fencing, connective planting and understory enhancement. Landowners, forest managers and industry professionals took part in the development of the collaborative project.
The project has resulted in securing afforestation licenses, planting thousands of trees, overcoming landowner scepticism and delivering a practical, transferable model for achieving sustainability and creating on-farm value.
BRIDE – Biodiversity Regeneration in a Dairying Environment, Co. Cork and Co. Waterford
Farmland biodiversity loss was addressed by incentivising farmers to improve habitats through a results-based payment system, rewarding farmers for biodiversity improvements.
Working with over 40 farms – beef, lamb and milk – in the Bride Valley, the aim was to create a minimum of 10% ‘space for nature’ on each farm, so a web portal and app were developed for accurate mapping and verification.
The app also generates a ‘farmland biodiversity index’ and enables farmers to document biodiversity over time. Two labels were registered for farmers and food products meeting biodiversity criteria.
The outcomes are transferable to other regions and farmer-consumer connections were improved. The project involved NGOs, research, farm advisors, farmers and county councils.
CAP Network Ireland project manager, James Claffey, expressed his delight at the news.
“I would like to encourage all of Ireland to get behind the nominees for this year’s EIP-AGRI Innovation Awards.
“Your vote will make a difference. Having three nominees is a testament to Irish innovation in agriculture and we are proud of the diversity of the projects involved and wish all nominees the best of luck,” he added.