Supporting Policy
By nature, agriculture is multifunctional. It produces goods and services that are not always monetised nor easily observed; some of those are desirable (such as producing food or providing habitats for wildlife), while others put pressure on the environment and natural resources (such as generating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions). Agricultural policy is characterised by multiple, complex, and sometimes conflicting, objectives, to guide agri-food development on a sustainable path and in accordance to our societal values and goals. Agricultural policy can help reconcile the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability in the food, agriculture, land use and rural development sectors.
Across Teagasc, we conduct coherent and objective research to provide the evidence base necessary for the development, implementation and evaluation of agricultural policy at national and European levels. To do so, we conduct studies both ex ante and ex post with various methods including scenario analysis, modelling, observational studies and qualitative investigation. Our methodogies combine bottom-up and top-down approaches based on survey data, farm accountancy or census data, spatial information, in-depth interviews and focus groups.
Priority Research Questions
What will future projection models of agricultural activity look like? • How can integrated digital tools support decision making in sustainable farming? • What are the metrics associated with climate change and biodiversity assessment and how are they being developed and integrated? • How can integrated land-use and agriculture model(s) facilitate the analysis of scenarios to enhance biodiversity and achieve climate neutrality 2050? • Can the national GHG inventory be further refined to include new mitigation measures and Irish specific data?
Anticipated Research Outcomes
- Support policy through further Marginal Abatement Cost Curve development to reflect new technology discovery.
- Development of life cycle assessment models for all farming enterprises.
- Development of tools for the assessment and monitoring of biodiversity on farms.
- Improved national GHG inventory.
- Improved projections of future agricultural activity.
Kevin Hanrahan
Supporting Policy Pillar Lead
Research Snapshots
Teagasc Policy Contributions
- The development of Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACC), which have informed DAFM’s AgClimatise strategy.
- The Teagasc FAPRI-Ireland model, notably used in the annual cycle of EPA GHG projections and in the Teagasc GHG MACC analysis.
- The Teagasc National Farm Survey, which is the Irish component of the EU Farm Accountancy Data Network, also used to publish the Teagasc Sustainability Report
- Research on farm level behavioural change towards building climate change resilience, commissioned by the CCAC through the EPA.
- Research in the area of sustainable dietary change.
- Opening Statement to an Oireachtas committee (May 2019).
- EU Common Agricultural Policy analysis.
- Identification of high nature value farmland.
- Results based payments for biodivertsity enhancement.
- Teagasc contribution to the National Bioeconomy Action Plan 2023-2025 (Nov 2022).
- Teagasc Submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss (Sep 2022).
- Teagasc Opening Statement to the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action regarding the sequestration and land management/nature restoration (Nov 2022).
- Teagasc submission to the Nitrates Action Programme review (Sep 2021).
Inventory Refinement
Published research from the Climate Centre has also contributed to improving the national Greenhouse Gas Inventory compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency. For example:
- Refinement of national emission factors.
- Nitrous oxide for animal excreta and fertiliser
- Methane
- Carbon dioxide
- Improvement in the collation of agricutlural activity data such as manure management and the area of drained peat soils.