Teagasc to use farm in training next generation on sustainability
At yesterday’s launch of the ‘Kildalton 2030: Leading Sustainable Growth’ initiative, Teagasc director Professor Gerry Boyle said: “Irish agriculture has a unique opportunity to secure a future for farming, a future that is sustainable in the widest sense of the word: economically, environmentally and socially.
“The future for the next generation of farmers looks promising, exciting, but also challenging. Can we meet the twin challenges of contributing to food security on the one hand and maintenance of the world’s natural resources at the same time? One thing is for certain: farmers will be working in a world that is profoundly different from the world we know today.”
More than 100 scientists, farming stakeholders, and policy makers gathered in Kildalton yesterday for a seminar entitled ‘Proof & Prospects’. They discussed the green credentials of Irish agriculture, and launched a sustainability demonstration farm at the college.
This initiative will train the next generation of farmers in agricultural sustainability on an operational farm.
Keynote speaker, Dr Pierre Geber of the FAO, said: “With growing concerns about how food is produced, the livestock sector is under particular pressure to assess, improve and communicate on its environmental performance, while coping with the increasing demand for animal products.”
Yesterday’s conference outlined the incremental steps needed to improve production efficiencies on farms, notably monitoring the use of resources such as land, animals, and fertilisers in terms of impact on the environment and direct costs.
Teagasc’s speakers also highlighted the need for Irish agri-food to be able to prove its green credentials. In partnership with the FAO, Teagasc will develop indicators to capture positive data to prove that Irish dairy has the lowest carbon footprint in the EU.
Principal of Teagasc Kildalton, Frank Murphy, said: “Over the next seven years, we will transform the dairy farm at Kildalton College into a showcase of sustainable dairy production. This initiative will assist in training students in all aspects of agricultural sustainability.”
