New third-level course in organic horticulture planned
Shane McEntee, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture with special responsibility for organic farming and food, has welcomed plans by UCC to develop an outreach third-level programme in organic horticultural crop production, on an estate in West Cork.
The proposed MSc in Organic Horticultural Crop Production is expected to be accredited and supported by UCC through the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, which was established in May 2010.
On a visit to the proposed location, the Liss Ard Estate near Skibbereen, the Minister of State welcomed the proposed course as “a positive step towards providing the levels of expertise needed to develop the organic horticulture sector in Ireland to its full potential”.
“The proposed course is scheduled to commence in September 2012. Initially, an annual intake of 15 students is envisaged,” the minister said.
UCC’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) and is composed of the academic disciplines of geology, environmental science, zoology, ecology and plant science, which are based on a single site in UCC’s North Mall Campus.
Current research in the school which are of particularly relevance to organic horticulture include the use of seaweed extracts for increasing crop yield and disease resistance, plant breeding, biological control of crop pests, optimisation of vermicomposting, use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment and the use in horticulture of waste streams like shellfish waste, wood ash and potato peel.
The research project element of the MSc programme and the involvement of UCC School of BEES could allow Liss Ard to develop into the first organic horticultural crop research centre in Ireland, providing a steady stream of research results of direct relevance to organic growing.
I spoke to IOFGA’s development officer Grace Maher about this development. She said: “I would welcome this announcement to develop an Msc in Organic Horticulture as it will lead to more professional organic growers in Ireland. However, I would also stress that there is an obvious gap between a qualification at level six which is the highest level currently and postgraduate level. We need to ensure that a degree is also introduced. I hope that the partnership between Liss Ard and UCC is a fruitful one”.
She said: “It is also essential that a horticultural advisor is appointed to provide continued support to professional growers.”
The lack of training opportunities to the required level has been noted elsewhere.
Farmers I have spoken to recently have compared the Teagasc Better Farm programme and Teagasc Organic Demonstration Farms initiatives.
The Better Farms programme has three distinct areas — research demonstration farms under the control of applied research staff, based at research centres or colleges; the “Better Farms”, which are well managed commercial farms where research recommendations are applied to the main farming system and the results measured and demonstrated at local level; and discussion groups, where like-minded farmers who wish to develop or expand their enterprises come together regularly on their farms.
For farmer clients who are not group members, the regular demonstrations and farm walks on the research demonstration farms and Better Farms offer an opportunity to see research results and new practices in operation.
The Teagasc organic demonstration farms initiative, however, does not have the same level of integrated learning opportunities. While useful for farmers who are thinking about the organic option, they are of limited use to existing organic farmers who want to improve their own performance.
In other news, see two recent anti-GM campaigns initiated in Ireland at the http://no2gm.com/ (or contact Kitty Skully at 087-6705338) and www.gm-moratorium.com websites.
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