Six from Cork have joined with Irish farmers, for a new book combining scientific research with local knowledge that gives farmers and others practical tips on how to create a more sustainable future, while protecting land and nature.
At a time of great challenge and uncertainty for farm families, ‘The Farming For Nature Handbook’ is a practical guide to protecting and restoring nature. With contributions from more than 50 Irish farmers, the book also shares farmers’ experiences of how working with nature can help reduce costs and improve incomes.
Thomas Fouhy, an arable farmer from Mallow, is one of the contributors from Cork and he gives insights into how to get started with low disturbance crop establishment.
“Start in a small area first in order to up-skill yourself on a new cultivation method. No new machinery purchases are needed at the start, you can use existing ploughing equipment … For weed control, leave adequate time between cultivations for weed seeds to germinate before carrying out further cultivations or planting/drilling,” Mr Fouhy notes.
While there is widespread awareness of the environmental damage caused by poor farming practices, this book in contrast attempts to highlight the positive ways farmers can sustain and enhance our natural environment, and benefit from the results. It is hoped ‘The Farming For Nature Handbook’ will become the essential guide to caring profitably for our land.
ENHANCING HABITATS
The book, which will be launched this Thursday, November 28th, was inspired by regular requests to the non-profit Farming For Nature project from landowners, farmers, smallholders and growers wanting to learn how best to manage their land, big or small, in a way that enhances habitats, protects profits, and safeguards our natural environment and rural communities.
The six Cork farmers are Farming For Nature ambassadors – a project set up to support, encourage and inspire farmers who farm, or who wish to farm, in a way that will improve the natural health of our countryside.
Contributor Darina Allen, a mixed organic farmer and chef from Ballymaloe, Co. Cork, said that “A growing body of research confirms that both our mental and physical health are largely affected by the health of our gut biome, which to a great extent is determined by the quality of the food we eat, it’s vital to feed ourselves and our families with healthy, wholesome, chemical free food.”
The handbook shares tips for a better farming future and shows how to manage land in a way that enhances habitats, increases wildlife and harnesses natural processes while protecting livelihoods, food security and profiles. It is not just targeted at farmers but is for anyone who wants to grow, garden and gather better.
The book was conceived and developed by Brigid Barry, researched and mainly written by conservation ecologist Dr. Emma Hart on behalf of Farming For Nature and co-edited by Dr. Brendan Dunford of the Burrenbeo Trust. It is beautifully illustrated with watercolours and sketches by farmer and artist Clive Bright as well as digital images by scientific illustrator William Helps.
The book, published by Dingle Publishing, was supported financially by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Lifes2Good Foundation. RRP is €30.
