‘Knowledge gap’ in organic conversion to be addressed in new research project
A new research project, which is a collaboration between Teagasc and UCD, and supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), aims to support the sustainable growth and development of the organic farming sector.
A core objective of the ‘Growing Resilient Organic Farming Systems’ (GRO-FarmS) project is to add to the limited research evidence on organic systems to support Irish farmers as they switch to organic farming. The project not only focuses on the benchmarking of financial, social and environmental sustainability of organic farms, but it will also feature beef production research trials, sheep finishing research trials and an integrated organic drystock and tillage demonstration farm.
The announcement of funding under DAFM’s 2023 Thematic Research call for an organics research project was welcomed yesterday, January 3, by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett. This project, she noted, will develop and share with all stakeholders sustainable organic grass-based beef and sheep production system blueprints, as well as assessing the social, environmental and economic impacts of organic beef and sheep systems.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister Hackett said: “I am delighted that funding of €1.3 million has been allocated to this ground-breaking project, with €900,000 coming from my department and €400,000 from Teagasc.
“Research plays an important role in allowing us to adapt to our changing environment, and to future-proof our farming systems. I believe organic farming is a ready-made solution to protect Irish farmers, and to equip them with the tools needed to improve their economic, environmental, and social sustainability in the years ahead. It is also the next step in developing Ireland as a world leader in organic farming, on our road to becoming an organic island.”
The GRO-FarmS project will be co-ordinated by Dr. Kevin Kilcline from the Teagasc Rural Economy & Development Centre, Mellows Campus, Athenry.
Commenting on the project, Dr. Kilcline said: “This project provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate efficient organic farming systems to the increasing cohort of organic farmers in this country to enable them to enhance the sustainability credentials of their organic systems.
“Dissemination of the research outputs to the organic farming community will be a key feature of this project. The financial benchmarking element of the project will allow us to attain a greater understanding of the financial performance of organic farmers across all the main farming enterprises and will provide an invaluable benchmarking tool for existing and newly converted organic farmers.”
Minister Hackett concluded: “This has been a milestone year for organic farming in Ireland and I am very pleased this project has received funding. We need to fully understand the benefits of organic farming in an Irish context and this work will ensure we have the data needed to support organic farmers as we continue to grow the sector in Ireland.”
For more information on organics, click here.