project - EIP-AGRI Operational Group
Mulkear EIP-Innovation, Technology & KT for Farmer Led Enhancement of Water Quality, Instream Habitat and Riparian Management in the Mulkear Catchment
Mulkear EIP-Innovation, Technology & KT for Farmer Led Enhancement of Water Quality, Instream Habitat and Riparian Management in the Mulkear Catchment
Objectives
Deliver a catchment sensitive approach to farming in a catchment ‘At Risk’, by working with farmers to bring about improvements in water quality, riparian management and instream habitat. The project will:
-Build capacity of farmers to identify and mitigate agricultural impacts on water quality through practical on-farm measures and shared learning.
-Deliver a locally-led, collaborative, partnership model to enable partners collectively identify key water quality concerns, with farmers central in the co-design, development and implementation of measures.
-Celebrate the Mulkear via community outreach work based on improving local water quality, biodiversity and riparian management.
Objectives
Trí oibriú le feirmeoirí le feabhsuithe a dhéanamh ar chaighdeán an uisce, bainistíocht bruacha abhainn agus bhithéagsúlacht. Déanfaidh an tionscadal:
- Cumas feirmeoirí a thógáil chun tionchar talmhaíochta ar chaighdeán an uisce a aithint agus a mhaolú trí bhearta praiticiúla ar an bhfeirm agus ar fhoghlaim le cheile.
- Múnla comhpháirtíochta a chur ar fáil go háitiúil chun go bhféadfaidh comhpháirtithe príomhcheisteanna imní maidir le chaighdeán uisce a aithint i dteannta a chéile, le feirmeoirí lárnach i gcomhthéaradh, forbairt agus cur i bhfeidhm na mbeart.
- An Mhulchair a cheillureadh trí obair leis an pobail aituail chun fheabhas a chur ar chaighdeán uisce áitiúil agus ar bhithéagsúlacht.
Activities
- Develop a model of collaborative working to identify key water quality concerns.
- Develop and deliver a tailored Catchment Sensitive Farming training programme.
- Achieve a real collaborative partnership through the co-design of a suite of farm measures.
- Complete detailed local catchment assessments and develop baseline data for monitoring.
- Undertake detailed farm risk assessments to ensure the right measure in the right place.
- Share best practice and communicate widely via Digital Story Telling, local volunteers, and an award system to recognise farmers and local river champions.
- Develop a community outreach programme to improve water quality, biodiversity and riparian management.
Activities
- Múnla chomhoibriú a fhorbairt chun eolas cruinn a fhail ar chaighdeán uiscí.
- Clár oiliúna a fhorbairt do feirmeoirí ar a dhobharcheantar feirmeoireacht ciallmhar.
- Comhpháirtíocht fhíor-chomhoibritheach a bhaint amach le feirmeoirí ar bhearta feirme.
- Measúnuithe mionsonraithe na ndobharcheantar áitiúil a chríochnú agus sonraí bunlíne le haghaidh faireacháin a fhorbairt.
- Measúnuithe a dheanamh ar riosca feirme chun an beart ceart a chinntiú san áit cheart i dtaca le caighdeán uisce.
- Cumarsáid a dhéanamh go forleathan trí oibrithe deonacha áitiúla agus Scéalta Digiteach.
- Clár pobail a fhorbairt chun cáilíocht uisce, bithéagsúlacht agus bainistíocht bruachbhailte a fheabhsú.
Additional information
Expected results and practical recommendations:
-Delivery of a broad range of positive impacts and that the results generated will help inform sustainable farming practices at a catchment scale.
The results will help inform practical water quality improvements and environmental practices and policies, by providing:
-Provide a pilot catchment for the delivery of a catchment sensitive farming approach to improve water quality in recommended areas for action under the River Basin Management Plan.
-A pilot catchment for the implementation of a locally-led collaborative approach to achieving reductions in nutrient levels and improvements in ecological status.
-Evidence that farmers can play a positive role in supporting healthy water bodies and ecosystems while undertaking smart farming measures in an upland and lowland context.
-A tested and proven suite of on-farm measures that help mitigate agriculture impacts on water quality, riparian zones and instream habitats in dairy, beef and mixed farming context.
-A focus on getting targeted measures (the right measure in the right place) where they will have greatest effect in the Mulkear Catchment.
-Development of catchment sensitive farming discussion groups to provide local farmers with enhanced skills and an improved understanding and appreciation of the “source-pathway-receptor model” and water quality and environmental issues associated with their farming operations and how these issues can be addressed in the context of a locally led scheme.
-Establishment of a costed, tested and collaborative approach to catchment sensitive farming that can be developed further and be implemented elsewhere to improve water quality.
Project details
- Main funding source
- Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups
- Rural Development Programme
- 2014IE06RDNP001 Ireland - Rural Development Programme (National)
Location
- Main geographical location
- South-West (IE)
€ 1172830
Total budget
Total contributions from EAFRD, national co-financing, additional national financing and other financing.
1 Practice Abstracts
Agriculture is the single most significant pressure impacting water quality in Ireland. In the past 15 years, a major transformation has occurred in the agriculture sector with output dramatically increasing in response to strategic targets set by the Irish government. In 2016 the Gross Agricultural Output was valued at almost €7 billion, with the beef and dairy sectors dominating (70%). Milk production has increased by 4% annually since 2012. This unprecedented level of growth is placing significant pressure on Ireland’s natural water bodies. The Mulkear EIP offers a new approach to address these concerns by developing catchment sensitive farming practices. The overall project aim is to demonstrate that a catchment sensitive farming approach, in a catchment which is “At Risk”, can support local farmers to stay farming while bringing about catchment scale improvements in water quality. It will focus on the implementation of a locally-led collaborative partnership, with farmers centrally involved in the co-design of an innovative suite of measures to address the water quality concerns as identified in local catchment assessments.
Agriculture is the single most significant pressure impacting water quality in Ireland. In the past 15 years, a major transformation has occurred in the agriculture sector with output dramatically increasing in response to strategic targets set by the Irish government. In 2016 the Gross Agricultural Output was valued at almost €7 billion, with the beef and dairy sectors dominating (70%). Milk production has increased by 4% annually since 2012. This unprecedented level of growth is placing significant pressure on Ireland’s natural water bodies. The Mulkear EIP offers a new approach to address these concerns by developing catchment sensitive farming practices. The overall project aim is to demonstrate that a catchment sensitive farming approach, in a catchment which is “At Risk”, can support local farmers to stay farming while bringing about catchment scale improvements in water quality. It will focus on the implementation of a locally-led collaborative partnership, with farmers centrally involved in the co-design of an innovative suite of measures to address the water quality concerns as identified in local catchment assessments.
Contacts
Project coordinator
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Carol Quish
Project coordinator
Project partners
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John Sheehan
Project partner
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Marion O Neill
Project partner
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Padraig Fitzgerald
Project partner
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Pat Blackwell
Project partner
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Patrick Barry
Project partner
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Richard Kennedy
Project partner