Loop Head at forefront of agricultural sustainability research
Local community development group, Loop Head Together CLG, which is based in the Loop Head peninsula, Co. Clare, was recently awarded €1.75 million to conduct a soil carbon enhancement project aimed at determining the feasibility of restoring soil health in coastal farming regions of Ireland.
The funding forms part of an overall investment of €17.8 m in eleven projects under the European Innovation Partnership (EIP), which forms part of the Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan.
The announcement coincides with the current roll-out of Loop Head’s involvement in Ireland mid-west’s Living Lab, a European-funded project called Soilcrates.
The new project firmly places Loop Head at the forefront of this research around sustainability in agriculture, according to Margaret Cotter, chairperson of Loop Head Together CLG.
The group - in collaboration with Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) through research fellow Dr Lena Madden, and assisted by consultants Laura Foley MSc and Michelle Cooney - submitted an EIP proposal to roll out a research project on the Loop Head peninsula,
The project is dedicated to soil carbon enhancement, reducing nutrient run-offs and the need for chemical fertilisers, and exploring the potential for circular bio-economy solutions in agriculture.
The project is co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the EU.
DAFM cited not only its support of the project as an extension of the department's overall mission to improve soil health, but also pointed out that the project is highly relevant and aligns with the department's priorities around promoting the circular and bio economy.
According to Loop Head Together CLG, the most important part of this project is that it will be carried out in conjunction with farmers on the ground with the aim of improving not just the soil but also the long-term viability and sustainability of farming and agriculture generally,
With soil management and soil health literally being the foundation of environmental sustainability, these learnings have the potential to have very positive impacts on both the environment and agriculture across the country, the CLG stated.
With the Loop Head peninsula also already being the pilot decarbonising zone for Co. Clare, Loop Head Together CLG expressed its gratitude for the support of Clare County Council - in particular, Morgan Lahiffe and the wider climate action team - when it came to putting together this proposal for Loop Head.
The proposal will also see support from University College Dublin, Munster Technological University, Premier Green, Kracken Seeds, EIT Climate, Arigna Fuels, the ICOS, and agricultural consultants Damien Coyne Ltd.
Minister of State at the DAFM, Timmy Dooley, cited the project as a "way of exploring and demonstrating best practice across the country in terms of sustainable farming".
He described the economic impact of developing better systems for farmers in a way that does not damage the long-term viability of the farm or the soil.
"Research projects like these puts the farming community at the forefront of such findings, meaning that farming is protected going forward," Minister Dooley said.
Fine Gael Deputy, Joe Cooney commended the community on the Loop Head peninsula.
“I’m delighted to see the Loop Head Together organisation getting acknowledged at department level in this way, for the innovative and strategic approach it has taken in tackling some of the challenges that face coastal farming communities.
"I look forward to engaging with them as they progress the project,” Deputy Cooney said.
This project, which is rolling out under the working title of SCEENE (Soil Carbon Enhancement for Excess Nutrient Elimination) is still pending final clarifications and signing of contracts, but it is hoped to move towards implementation in the coming months.
Margaret Cotter, chairperson of Loop Head Together CLG, said that the goal with the project as a group "is to support our local farming community in finding solutions to the challenges presented by climate change".
“The two principal economic drivers in Loop Head are tourism and agriculture and we are acutely aware as a community of the need to support both to ensure the sustainability of our locality into the future."
Cotter pointed out that the project would not have been possible without Loop Head Together’s ongoing collaboration with TUS and in particular Dr. Lena Madden.
“Lena has brought with her the extensive expertise of her colleagues and friends who form the operational group for the project. We are also very grateful to the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine for selecting us in this competitive process."
Loop Head Together CLG expressed thanks to its local community on Loop Head for supporting their efforts to work together towards protecting farms and the environment, and in promoting the potential for circular bioeconomy solutions that will help keep rural communities thriving into the future.
