Advising for Sustainable Food Production as an Island

Bringing together leading academics and farm advisors to develop solutions, ambitions and shared practices across Ireland’s border.

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16th August 9.30 – 13.30

Outline

With agriculture accounting for 65% of land use in the Republic of Ireland, and 75% in Northern Ireland farming practice has a significant influence on environmental outcomes. Knowledge transfer and the provision of advice has been identified as a key mechanism for encouraging environmentally-friendly farming practices.

In recent years the main provider of advice in Northern Ireland, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) has undertaken a restructuring of its advice provision. During this time CAFRE has tried to increase their relationship with the Teagasc Advisory Service to reflect the similar challenges faced by farmers and land managers in both jurisdictions, and the shared challenges in the border counties. These two organisations are not the only providers of advice, this is also carried out by farmers organisations, processors, ENGOs and within the private sector. This event brings together these organisations, as well as leading academics in the field of agricultural knowledge transfer to develop solutions, ambitions and shared practices to meet these challenges.

Brexit has resulted in a large degree of uncertainty for farmers on either side of the border in terms of business practices, rules and regulations, and the provision of support and agri-environment schemes. As this uncertainty is likely to continue, marginally eased by the Northern Irish protocol, building practical collaboration and understanding across the border has never been more important, particularly as the environment does not recognise borders. This event brings together these organisations, as well as leading academics in the field of agricultural knowledge transfer to develop solutions, ambitions and shared practices to meet these challenges.

Event Schedule

9.30 –  Welcome and Introduction

9.45-10.45 –  Advising for change – Understanding how co-production of farm advisory services can lead to environmental transformation

(Dr Katrin Prager, University of Aberdeen, and Dr Christina Noble, James Hutton Institute, Social Scientist in Agricultural Innovation)

11:00-12:00 – Advising sustainable food production through the food supply chain

(Professor David Barling, head of the Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environment Management Research at the University of Hertfordshire, Dr David Christian Rose, Associate Professor of Agricultural Innovation and Extension, University of Reading)

12:15-13:15 – Where next? Mapping ambition, challenges and opportunities for agri-environment change through advice Participatory session: we want to know what you think, based on your own experience and expertise are the key challenges and opportunities for agri-environmental improvement, and practical ways we can achieve it

13.15 – 13.30 – Closing remarks

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