A series of events will take place next week around the country to highlight and raise awareness of Ireland’s bioeconomy.
The bioeconomy involves moving away from crude oil to supply the needs of society by using renewable plants, animals and microbes.
The concept extends from farming and the agri-food businesses, marine-based industries, forestry, waste management, energy suppliers, and pharma and bio-technology products.
It includes services and investments that produce, use, process, distribute or consume biological resources, including ecosystem services.
Bioeconomy Ireland Week
Bioeconomy Ireland Week is an annual event held each October which includes industry, local and regional communities, primary producers, researchers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and students throughout Ireland.
This year’s theme is ‘Empowering Ireland’s Bioeconomy for a Greener Tomorrow’.
From October 16-20, the Irish Bioeconomy Network will run a series of online and in-person workshops, networking events, talks and interactive activities over the course of the week.
Opportunities for Irish biomass and biochar, dealing with food waste and the role of plant-based protein will be among the areas up for discussion.
A “BioBus” mobile exhibit, organised by the SFI BiOrbic research centre, will tour 35 locations across Ireland for five weeks in October and November.
The Irish Bioeconomy Network has also invited communities, groups, producers, researchers, artists, industry and others to run their own events to raise awareness of the bioeconomy.
Topics for such activities can range from the circular bioeconomy; sustainability; climate change mitigation; bio-waste management; and the blue bioeconomy.
As in previous years, Teagasc will collaborate with various partners within the Irish bioeconomy sector to produce a compilation of maps.
The compilation, which will be available on the Teagasc website, consists of interactive story maps and highlights several aspects of specific events held during the week, as well as aspects relating to the Irish bioeconomy in general.
One of the maps will also acts as a portal listing the ongoing research on the bioeconomy being carried out across Ireland.
DAFM
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the bioeconomy plays an important developmental role in achieving climate neutrality and environmental, economic, and social sustainability.
The department recently announced the opening of the Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative.
This is part of the EU Just Transition Fund for Ireland and is designed to pilot and demonstrate the bioeconomy “in action” within the Just Transition Fund Territory.
The scheme is co-funded to the tune of €10 million by the government and the EU through the EU Just Transition Fund.