Context

The Inishowen peninsula sits on the North-West coast of Ireland.  It has a population of approximately 40,500. There are 2688 farmers in inishowen. The area is dominated by High Nature Value farmland (HNV).

 

The average size of farm in Inishowen is 27 hectares and  many farmers have off farm income.    The age profile of farmers  and lack the of a successor is a concern.  It is becoming clear that, in a shift from earlier generations where a son was expected to take over the family farm, farmers are now encouraging their sons to look elsewhere to provide a living for  epmployment citing long hours, over regulation and non-existent returns.

 

While tradition and culture mean that farming will continue, for the benefits and positive externalities that follow from it to be fully exploited, whether they be the provision of public goods or the landscape and amenity values that are provided,  new thinking is required.

 

The role and purpose of the part-time farmer must be redefined.   The reality is that most of the farms in the Inishowen peninsula are not capable of generating a sufficient income. However, if there is some tangible return for the production of  public goods the long-term sustainability of these farms could be improved. Much of the uplands and mountains in Inishowen are covered in blanket bog.  While conservation of raised bogs receive greater attention, the fact is, that blanket bogs are the rarer ecosystem in an international context.  Ireland has the largest covering of blanket bog within Europe, conservation and proper management of this blanket bog coupled with climate mitigation measures on improved low land would yield important environmental benefits such as good quality water, carbon sequestration,  high-quality biodiversity and flood mitigation.

Additional information

Expected Results:

• Increased profitability for farmers participating

• Reduced dependence on chemical nitrogen fertiliser

• Improved upland habitat condition.

• Flood resilience and water infiltration will be increased.

• Increased Carbon sequestration.

• Enhanced nutrient management and capture.

• The biggest benefit of the entire project will be the retention of people to continue to farm and manage the land. We intend to demonstrate that there is a real benefit in this to the local economy and to the country as a whole.

 

Practical Recommendations will be generated for:

• The inclusion of Agroforestry in Irish agriculture.

• The establishment of red clover as a high-quality feed source to reduce the reliance on artificial chemical nitrogen fertilizers.

• The inclusion of white clover varieties to increase the quality of grazed swards and reduce the dependence on artificial chemical nitrogen.

• The introduction of flood mitigation measures to increase the resilience of Irish landscapes to flood damage

• The development of shelter belts and wind breaks to increase soil temperatures, increase grass growth and lengthen the grazing season.

• The use of spatial mapping for the development of high return environmental schemes. The project will also give practical examples of how data sets collected by different agencies can be used in a cohesive way which benefits farmers.

• The role ponds can play in farm situations for flood mitigation, supporting wildlife, biodiversity improvement and provision of water supply to farms.

• Best practice for grazing of uplands.

• The concept of share farming.

• Pond creation and maintenance.

• How the concept of nutrient capture can be used going forward to improve economic returns and provide environmental goods