There is a symbiotic relationship between farming, the food produced and the natural environment, something known by every farmer. The furtherance of this will be discussed in a coffee morning gathering from 11am-1pm on Saturday, 2nd September at Lismore Heritage Centre, hosted by the West Waterford Greens.
Many farmers have already embraced this relationship by building fertile soils, by habitat retention and developing existing wildlife habitats, planting trees, leaving height of hedges untrimmed, improving water quality and numerous other ways that the farmer enhances the natural environment on their land.
Grace O’Sullivan, MEP, who has been so active in both the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (PECH) Committee in the European Parliament and Rapporteur on the 8th Environment Action Programme, will head the diverse panel of speakers with a presentation ‘Without Nature There is No Food’ with an introduction by Marc Ó Cathasaigh TD.
The BRIDE Project was set up to improve biodiversity in the Bride river valley by a collective of farmers in the area and Tony Watson will discuss their Farming with Nature initiative. Tony is a wildlife biologist and ecologist who works for the BRIDE and other agri environment groups around the country, carrying out farm assessments for biodiversity.
Dave Beecher has a keen interest in soil health and that will the subject of his presentation. As Field Officer with Danú Farming Group, he has a long-term commitment to supporting farmers in their transition to biological/regenerative farming through his various courses.
The whys and hows of regenerative faming will be addressed by Pieter Ploeg of Terranu learning farm in West Waterford. With his experience at the Commonland Foundation, he sees as his mission to build soil and soul connections and diversify the land and ecosystem through regenerative agriculture, land stewardship and social learning.
This event looks to reach out and into the farming community, the guardians of our land and present caretakers of the relationship between farming, food and nature.
All are welcome to this free event and there will be opportunities for questions after the presentations and then further time for chat over a cup of tea or coffee after the event.
For further information, please contact: Lynne Glasscoe, West Waterford Greens, email lynne.glasscoe@greenparty.ie or message 086-3788274.
