Sustainability in Agriculture: the Science and Evidence
The Teagasc Sustainability in Agriculture: the Science and Evidence conference is taking place today, Tuesday, 5th November at the Teagasc Research Centre at Ashtown, Dublin. At the conference the science and evidence behind the sustainability credentials of agriculture, specifically focussing on livestock systems, are being put forward.
Sustainability in Agriculture: the Science and Evidence
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Teagasc Director, Professor Frank O’Mara said; “Sustainability is often just viewed through the lens of the environment. Today we also look into indicators of social sustainability on Irish farms, and the economic viability of Irish farming production systems. Different systems have different strengths and challenges, and for any system, we must seek to strengthen the positives and minimise the challenges. In this conference, we are assessing the current sustainability of our milk and beef systems and looking at the pathways that can be followed to improve many of the important metrics.”
Invited international speaker, Dr Badi Besbes, from the FAO Animal Production and Health Division, opened the scientific papers at the conference with a keynote talk on the challenges and opportunities of sustainable food systems from a global perspective. He provided some of his insights and reflections on the important role animals play in global food production systems.
Dr Karen Daly, Acting Head of the Teagasc Environment and Land Use Research Centre in Johnstown Castle said; “Leading national experts are presenting the science and evidence behind sustainability in an Irish context. We will hear about the carbon footprint of Irish livestock systems and the nutritional adequacy of healthy sustainable diets.”
Ireland’s dairy and beef carbon footprints are one of the lowest in the world however, Irish agriculture accounts for 38% of national GHG emissions. Recently through increased efficiency and adoption of technologies, total Irish agricultural greenhouse gas emissions are in decline and approaching 2016 levels.
The conference also heard how ‘blue water’ use on Irish dairy farms is substantially below most other countries in the world due to the abundance of rainfall, low purchased concentrate and lack of irrigation in the production systems.
Irish dairying and beef production systems are a significant net contributor to the production of human digestible protein. Even when the opportunity potential of land suitable for arable production is accounted for, dairy and dairy beef systems remain land use efficient. The scientific evidence behind healthy and sustainable diets that ensures both personal and planetary health presented the challenge of balancing nutrient content with emissions. For example, while a 200 ml serving of milk and 200 ml of carbonated beverage have similar carbon footprints, milk contains protein and essential nutrients while cola contains 21g sugar and no other nutrients.
In relation to water quality, there is now a lot of tools and information to help improve it. Science has enhanced our understanding of the processes that govern the generation and transport of pollutants, and identify potential mitigation actions. Tools have been developed to identify pressures and support the targeting of actions. Multi-actor approaches have demonstrated the steps needed to achieve sustained practice change. Coupled with this there is a heightened awareness and desire amongst all stakeholders, across the wider agri-food industry, to tackle water quality challenges.
The economic paper took a look across Europe at public and private initiatives at supporting farmers to deliver better outcomes and achieve sustainability. For Ireland Origin Green and support payments through the CAP have since evolved to improve environmental outcomes.
Social sustainability in Irish farms was presented in ‘People Power’ a paper with new data from the National Farm Survey on social engagement, farmer wellbeing and generational renewal. New data showed on average 6 out of 10 farmers aged over 60 have identified a successor, representing a decline when compared to data collected in 2018.
The conference heard that incorporating indicators of social sustainability in national survey data could lead to better policy formation.
The final paper of the conference looked at how agricultural education has evolved since 1899 with survey data showing that the percentage of famers having some form of formal education has steadily increased across all farm enterprises between 2015 and 2022, with courses including environment modules.
The conversation continued with a panel discussion moderated by Helen Carroll and included leading experts in sustainability namely; Badi Besbes (FAO), Cara Augustenborg (Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy, UCD), Thomas Duffy (Former MACRA president and farmer), Dr Stan Lalor (Director of Knowledge Transfer Teagasc) and Elaine O’Connor (Head of Sustainability at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland).
The proceedings from today’s conference are available at: https://www.teagasc.ie/environment/climate-centre/events/sustainability-in-agriculture/
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