The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided over €650,000 to a research project examining the effectiveness of financial supports and training for farmers improving their farms circular bioeconomy.
The Just Transition for Agriculture in the Circular Bioeconomy (JusTACE) project, submitted by Munster Technological University (MTU) in collaboration with University College Cork, Maynooth University, and University College Dublin, will run for four years and began in March.
Replacing fossil fuels with local plant-based or farm waste alternatives can be costly, so developing a circular economy for this would help make the costs more manageable through financial incentives, technical advice, and training.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, research impact co-ordinator Robert Ludgate said the project will examine realistic measures for the agri-food sector.
“As the transition towards more sustainable agricultural bioeconomy is happening, we’re looking at it from the point of view that it has to be sustainable for everybody involved. It has to be fair for everyone, farmers especially have to be able to make a living from these new methods that are coming on board.”
Method
Some of the measures the research team may analyse, if within the project’s scope, are using recycling derived fertilisers (RDFs) from compost and anaerobic digestion instead of mineral fertiliser, models for selling wool-based products and conservation for soil fertility.
Circular bioeconomy refers to an economic system that repairs and recycles plant- and animal-based materials, especially as a means of continuing production in an environmentally friendly way, moving away from the reliance on fossil fuels.
The project will focus on addressing knowledge gaps and informing Government policies and initiatives in areas of financial incentives.
This analysis will be conducted using practical on-farm tests, workshops and expert panel guidance, which will draw from farmers and other partners for insights.
Simon Patterson.
Fellow researcher Simon Patterson said this approach was a successful method incorporated from previous research.
“Quite a lot of [farmers] feel like they have been left behind or are about to be. A lot of the rules are being made by policy makers without their input.
“A key part is getting those voices from farmers, primary producers and people who work in agriculture, and then delivering them through research back to policy makers.”
Aims
The project aims to support and scale up the just transition to the circular economy, however, it also intends to assess the potential socio-economic impacts of the transition. This will be done at local, regional, rural, and urban levels, identifying solutions for an inclusive transition.
The researchers hope the findings will impact not just future agricultural policies and schemes, but also different sectors and international developments.
Robert Ludgate.
“We chose the agri-food sector because we are familiar with it, but also because we feel the learnings we take from this will be replicable across the broader bioeconomy.
“What happens in agri-food happens in a lot of other sectors of bioeconomy,” said Ludgate.
“We want to make sure the [outcomes] are effective, that it is going to last past the four-year project. It is a valuable experience for us to work on this project but we would want it to have a lasting impact,” added Patterson.
“It would be important to me to see a thriving and sustainable agriculture sector. I’d like to see farmers empowered a bit more than they are; they’re not necessarily feeling that at the moment, they’re feeling talked down to.”
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided over €650,000 to a research project examining the effectiveness of financial supports and training for farmers improving their farms circular bioeconomy.
The Just Transition for Agriculture in the Circular Bioeconomy (JusTACE) project, submitted by Munster Technological University (MTU) in collaboration with University College Cork, Maynooth University, and University College Dublin, will run for four years and began in March.
Replacing fossil fuels with local plant-based or farm waste alternatives can be costly, so developing a circular economy for this would help make the costs more manageable through financial incentives, technical advice, and training.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, research impact co-ordinator Robert Ludgate said the project will examine realistic measures for the agri-food sector.
“As the transition towards more sustainable agricultural bioeconomy is happening, we’re looking at it from the point of view that it has to be sustainable for everybody involved. It has to be fair for everyone, farmers especially have to be able to make a living from these new methods that are coming on board.”
Method
Some of the measures the research team may analyse, if within the project’s scope, are using recycling derived fertilisers (RDFs) from compost and anaerobic digestion instead of mineral fertiliser, models for selling wool-based products and conservation for soil fertility.
Circular bioeconomy refers to an economic system that repairs and recycles plant- and animal-based materials, especially as a means of continuing production in an environmentally friendly way, moving away from the reliance on fossil fuels.
The project will focus on addressing knowledge gaps and informing Government policies and initiatives in areas of financial incentives.
This analysis will be conducted using practical on-farm tests, workshops and expert panel guidance, which will draw from farmers and other partners for insights.
Simon Patterson.
Fellow researcher Simon Patterson said this approach was a successful method incorporated from previous research.
“Quite a lot of [farmers] feel like they have been left behind or are about to be. A lot of the rules are being made by policy makers without their input.
“A key part is getting those voices from farmers, primary producers and people who work in agriculture, and then delivering them through research back to policy makers.”
Aims
The project aims to support and scale up the just transition to the circular economy, however, it also intends to assess the potential socio-economic impacts of the transition. This will be done at local, regional, rural, and urban levels, identifying solutions for an inclusive transition.
The researchers hope the findings will impact not just future agricultural policies and schemes, but also different sectors and international developments.
Robert Ludgate.
“We chose the agri-food sector because we are familiar with it, but also because we feel the learnings we take from this will be replicable across the broader bioeconomy.
“What happens in agri-food happens in a lot of other sectors of bioeconomy,” said Ludgate.
“We want to make sure the [outcomes] are effective, that it is going to last past the four-year project. It is a valuable experience for us to work on this project but we would want it to have a lasting impact,” added Patterson.
“It would be important to me to see a thriving and sustainable agriculture sector. I’d like to see farmers empowered a bit more than they are; they’re not necessarily feeling that at the moment, they’re feeling talked down to.”
Read more
Ireland to lead €10m European research in wet farming
Agricultural research projects among those to receive EPA funding
Dempsey at Large: water improvement efforts
Dairy sector is a powerhouse of the rural economy - Tirlán
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