“Farmers are losing, often having to work two jobs to make a living while being blamed for a lot of the world’s ills,” according to Síolta Chroí co-founder, Gareth Conlan.
Síolta Chroí – ‘Seeds of the Heart’ – is a social enterprise based in Carrickmacross, Monaghan, that was set up in September 2020 focusing on ecosystem restoration.
`’A key focus of our work is supporting the farming community. We have a situation currently where no-one, bar a few big companies, is winning. Our wider ecosystems are suffering as well – our soils, our water quality and wider biodiversity,” Conlan contended.
“The conversation around climate and farming often pits environmentalists against farmers which we see as not only unhelpful but misguided
“We believe that farmers hold the key to many of the local and global issues we face from climate change to food security, to building back biodiversity, to healthy vibrant resilient communities,” Conlan added.
Síolta Chroí runs activities exploring regenerative agriculture, a system of farming principles and practices that aims to improve and restore ecosystem health by enhancing soil fertility, increasing biodiversity, improving water cycles and sequestering carbon.
It focuses on practices that rebuild soil organic matter, strengthen the resilience of agricultural ecosystems, and improve the long-term productivity of the land.
At present there are two opportunities available for interested farmers in the northern part of the country.
‘Regenerative agriculture- Farming in Ulster’ will start on March 8. Aimed at farmers across Ulster, it will explore regenerative agriculture and how it is relevant to individual farms.
There will be six farm walks to farms that are practicing regenerative agriculture in areas that participants want to explore.
This is free to attend but places are limited and it is expected that those who sign up will commit to the full process.
In collaboration with Donegal ETB, Síolta Chroí will run its six-week introduction to regenerative agriculture course in Ardara from February 4.
Different areas of regenerative agriculture will be covered, making it applicable to different farms and contexts and pre-registration is required.