A ground-up solution to cropping issues

specific problems and to develop solutions in a faster manner.

Last year the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, allocated funding of €59m to fund EIP Operational Groups working on projects that contribute to Rural Development Priorities.

The first 13 Irish EIP–Agri projects were selected following a competitive application process.

In line with rural development priorities there are two streams for funding. The first stream focuses on issues such as farm viability, economic performance, sustainable forest management, and innovative technologies.

The second stream is focused on challenges related to environmental, biodiversity and climate change issues.

One of the successful projects is called Maximizing Organic Production Systems, and the lead applicant on the project is Gillian Westbrook from the Irish Organic Association (formerly called IOFGA).

“The primary goal of this project is to design a cropping system to enable 11 organic growers to work collaboratively to supply growing market demands,” she explained.

“This will reduce dependence on imported organic horticultural products and shorten the supply chain here in Ireland. Some growers certified by the Irish Organic Association came to us and identified this issue.

“We decided to form an Operational Group, apply for funding under the EIP–Agri to see if we can find a solution to this challenge.”

Organic farming accounts for just under 2pc of utilisable agricultural land in this country, and only a very small body of research has been carried out on organic farming practices.

This three-year project will develop a good picture of organic horticultural production which can then be shared with interested parties. The National Rural Network (NRN) have been tasked with following the progress of EIP projects here, assisting with dissemination and linking potential partners together.

This innovative approach to research is extremely useful for farmers who want to look at practical ways in which to address challenges which arise at farm level.