Heading up Kerry Eco-Social Farming Biodiversity project
The point where social farming and biodiversity meet is also the point where Kilworth native, Luke Myers, comes into the picture
In January, Luke accepted a position with the South Kerry Development Partnership on the Kerry Social Farming model to manage the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) aspect of the project, which works with farmers and social farming participants to preserve nature on farms in Kerry.
Originally from a rural area in Kilworth, Luke explained that his interest in nature came from his surroundings growing up in such an environment.
“I have an interest in exploring. I love walking into new areas and just rooting around, looking at things, and finding different plants and insects. In Kilworth, there were loads of areas to explore. I love plants and I’m really interested in invasive species, and Kerry is full of invasive species,” Luke said.
After completing a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology at IT Tralee (Munster Technological University), Luke went on the pursue ecological consultancy, before taking up the position of Biodiversity Officer for the Kerry Eco-Social Farming Biodiversity Project.
Kerry Social Farming, which is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, originally began in 2013 when a group of farmers and representatives from the South Kerry Development Partnership identified a need to make farming more inclusive.
VOLUNTARY MODEL
Beginning with just five farms across Kerry, the project began linking farmers up with people in the locality with additional needs, applied brain injuries, and those in mental health services.
According to Luke, the project now has over 31 host farms ranging from upland sheep commonages and high-intensity dairy farms to organic veg and horticultural farms, as well as 54 social farming participants.
“It’s a voluntary model, it’s the only voluntary model in Ireland and the farmers volunteer their time to be with their participants for that day in the week and it really helps the farmers themselves.
“They feel like they’re giving back to the community and for big jobs that might need to get done on the farm, they know that someone is going to be there to help out with those,” Luke said.
BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS
In Kerry, Luke notes, there is a high level of social isolation, particularly in rural parts, which is something that the project also aims to address.
“The overall social farming project is built on inclusion and addressing social isolation as well. There’s a great level of social isolation when you get to rural Kerry. Single farmers on their own may not see anyone for days at a time and Kerry Social Farming allows the security in knowing that someone is going to be on their farm next week to help them with X, Y, and Z and to be with them. It’s really formed into a comradery approach.
“We started in 2013 and we have those farms still in operation within Kerry social farming now, so those are farms which on a weekly basis would have had their participant going to them for the last seven or eight years. It has built up really strong relationships. We have participants who would spend Christmas with their farming families now and who celebrate birthdays and stuff with them,” Luke added.
For participants on the project, the experience gained on local farms has seen some go on to obtain employment on farms, with a resultant increase in social skills.
“We’ve also noticed a shift in life skills, social skills and communication skills of the participants. This is largely a group that wouldn’t really be included in these agricultural activities and this scheme is involving the entire community and making farming accessible for everyone.
“It’s really beneficial for everyone involved and the local community. Farmers often bring their social farming participants with them to get grains and nuts for the farm and to get farm machinery repaired and that then brings the participant into the local community. Here, they get to know more local people and it widens the circle of contacts and friends and increases their social skills,” Luke said.
NOTICEABLE SHIFT IN BIODIVERSITY
Kerry Social Farming has also linked in with UCC in developing a year-long Level 6 course which is offered to farmers free of charge to give them an insight into social farming and care systems, a course which Luke is also currently undertaking.
In 2021, the team at Kerry Social Farming applied for funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine under the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) which links the biodiversity aspect of the project that Luke manages.
The year- long sub-project of Kerry Social Farming recommends and funds farmers’ time in completing nature-based actions including hedgerow management and development, wildflower meadow development, native wildflower seed collection and potting and the development of river buffer zones.
“Farmers are so eager to get involved. They’ve seen real shifts in the level of biodiversity and the environment on farms. When some of the farmers were younger, they had eels in the local streams and there are no eels there anymore. There were salmon in some of the catchments at the bottom of the fields and there are very few salmon there anymore. They just want
to bring nature back and keep the nature, the biodiversity and the high-quality habitats that were there.
“On one farm, it’s a horticultural organic veg farm, they have a few fields that they aren’t doing anything with, so I’m going to work with them to change the mowing regime of those fields so we can reduce the nutrient content and allow the flowers to grow so it can become a wildflower meadow. They’re looking to diversify their agribusiness into potentially selling wildflower bouquets and stuff like that,” Luke said.
GUIDANCE
As Kerry Social Farming continues to grow, Luke notes that next on the cards is involving the elderly, early school leavers, and at-risk youth in their social farming model while also getting more farmers in Kerry on board.
While he notes that the Kerry Eco-social
Farming Biodiversity Project is something he would like to see expanded to North Cork also, in the meantime, there are steps people can take.
“Definitely looking at the all Ireland pollinator plan. They’ve really good booklets on managing your farm for nature and managing your garden pollinators as well and making sure there are wildflowers and native flowers in bloom all the time from March to October, so our 99 bee species have food for their entire life cycle.
“For social farming, people can get in contact with us and we will be able to assist them in potentially getting started with a social farming project. We operate through the South Kerry Development Partnership. Going through a local development company that has a strong standing within the Kerry community has really helped,” Luke said.