Contexte

1. The climate crisis and sixth mass extinction of biodiversity as well as declining water quality are the subject of increasing legislative focus.
2. Consumers are increasingly concerned by these issues and want sustainably produced food while producers need to meet this demand.
3. Prices of raw materials are increasing, and new indigenous resources could replace expensive imports.
4. Regionally, employment in the Midlands has suffered with the closure of peat-fired power stations and harvesting of peat for horticultural products. Consequently, it receives Just Transition financing for communities moving away from dependency on highly polluting fossil fuels.
5. There are about 350,000 hectares of peatland pasture in Ireland, and these emit up to 10 tonnes per hectare of carbon dioxide annually making them one of Ireland’s largest greenhouse gas sources.
6. Furthermore, they release dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and other nutrients making them a significant source of water pollution.
7. At the same time, the viability of farms and consequently the sustainability of rural communities are impacted by declining incomes resulting in issues of succession.

 

Farm Carbon will trial new methods of agricultural production and scientific monitoring and analysis related to peat soil restoration and regenerative farming practices in the context of the Carbon Farming Initiative at European Level. It will also develop additional income streams to the farming community to support and reward practices that result in the secondary production of ecosystem services.

Additional comments

1. Facilitating elements or obstacles for the implementation of the produced results

a) Farmers and the public are aware, ready and willing to engage in and support measures that simultaneously address critical environmental issues and sustainable farming.

 

2. Suggestions for future actions/research

a) Long-term monitoring will provide additional valuable data on the success of the mitigation measures in reducing the negative environmental impacts of peatland pastures.

b) Identification of key factors involved in the degradation of peat soils will provide the possibility of new app technologies.

c) Successful development of the SOCIT (Soil Organic Carbon Tracked Infra-red Spectrometer) will enable rapid, GPS-linked measurement of SOC in the field. The same technology can be refined for in-field measurement of NPK, chemical contamination etc.

d) Finalisation of draft Eco-schemes for ‘peat-friendly’ farm produce will support viable farmsteads providing enhanced ecosystem services.

e) Finalisation of Irish Wetland Code to requirements of offsetting standards to support carbon farming initiatives.

 

3. Messages to consumers

a) Eco-foods: It is proposed that products from areas with these measures will be certified to appropriate Eco-Schemes for ‘peat-friendly’ farm produce.

b) Offsets: Research will be carried out for an Irish Wetland Code to provide verify high-quality carbon credits for businesses, citizens and others to offset their unavoidable carbon emissions.

Additional information

Guidance at National / Regional level

1. National target of achieving a climate neutral economy with 51% reduction in emissions (compared to 1990) by 2030 (EU target of 55%).
2. National Biodiversity Action Plan is embedded in the EU’S Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 which includes making protected areas of 30% of EU’s land.
3. Water quality targets derived from Water Framework Directive require all Irish waterways to achieve good ecological status by 2027 at the latest.
4. The Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (Extended to 2022) supports funding to farmer actions with beneficial impacts on the environment and climate change.

 

Deliverables

• Suite of comprehensive scientific studies of three pillar environmental parameters of biodiversity, soil quality / greenhouse gas emissions and water quality across a range of peatland uses (forestry, pasture and cutaway).
• Data underpinning an integrated analytical methodology to act as a predictive tool for green diversified farm income and rapid monitoring, reporting & verification (MRV) of results.
• Additional income streams for participating farmers.
• Raised awareness and knowledge among participating farmers of regenerative carbon farming practices and sustainable farming of peatlands and other habitats.
• Cost-benefit analyses of new practices.
• LandScale evaluation for County Offaly as baseline of sustainable development for the county.
• Extensive areas of peat pasture and other habitats with enhanced conservation value and permanent sequestration of thousands of tonnes of carbon.
• New approaches to management of peatland pastures including paludiculture trials.
• Network development in the emerging land use and carbon farming sector.