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30 West Kerry farms to address climate change solutions through technology

€220,000 EU funding for Sustainable Innovation Pilot

(Dingle, Tuesday 13 October 2020)

Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub has been awarded €220,000 EU Horizon 2020 funding to enable West Kerry to participate as a Sustainable Innovation Pilot (SIP) for the next three years. This will see the roll-out of  sensor technology to thirty farms to achieve greater carbon, cost and labour efficiency. Increased carbon efficiency will be achieved by extending the grazing season.

Starting this October, the Dingle Hub will collaborate with Teagasc, IFA, local Dingle hub-based technology provider Net Feasa and Kerry Agribusiness to roll-out the sensor technology currently being piloted through the Farm Ambassador Project to a further thirty farms on the peninsula. The ‘real-time’ data collected describes current and predicted weather and soil conditions, grass growth rates and key environmental indicators. This data will be analysed and used to develop models and effective decision-support tools for farmers and to add value to a range of products and services, e.g.

  • using good environmental parameters in marketing goods from the area;
  • localised ‘real-time’ weather data enabling providers to tailor tourist packages optimised for changing weather conditions;
  • building a trusted brand for the Dingle Peninsula to secure the region as a destination of choice for the sustainably conscious visitor supported by data proving low food miles and low carbon footprint.

This SIP will integrate farming enterprises with related value chains, such as agri-tourism and/or food tourism, through enabling farmers to work with technology providers, data analysts and marketing teams. It is hoped that facilitating collaborations across the value chain will support and enable co-created, innovative solutions to both address climate change and support the financial viability of farms.

The project aims to:

  1. Market products using data from the sensor technologies, specifically, for:
  • farms initiating new agri-tourism industries;
    • enabling evidence based tourism focused advertising for low food miles and low carbon footprint for food on the Dingle peninsula;
    • building a sustainable brand for the peninsula;
  • Roll-out the technology to an additional thirty farms, incentivised by greater value for product and greater carbon, cost and labour efficiency. Specifically, increased carbon efficiency will be achieved by extending the grazing season; for every 10-day extension in grazing season there is a 1.7% decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is anticipated that the grazing season could be extended by 10 days on the Dingle peninsula through good grassland management achieved through use of the sensor technology. This 10-day extension of grazing will also mean increased profit for the farmer; for every 10-day extension in grazing season, profit is increased by 27 Euro per dairy cow. (Source: Teagasc Dairy Carbon Navigator)

The Dingle Hub will be advertising Expressions of Interest in the coming months for members of the farming community who wish to get involved in the SIP. Those who wish to pre-register their interest can do so by emailing info@dinglehub.com.  

Contact:

Deirdre de Bhailís

Manager,

Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub

Tel.:      066 9150140                         

Email:  info@dinglehub.com

Web:    www.dinglehub.com

Mol Teic (t/a the Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub) is a community enterprise supported by Enterprise Ireland, the Dept of Rural and Community Development through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Kerry Co Co, eir, Net Feasa and the Dingle Business Chamber.

Mol Teic’s vision is to build a flourishing community, fostering a vibrant and diverse ecosystem of stakeholders to facilitate the creation and maintenance of well-paid, year-round jobs on the Dingle Peninsula.

Footnote:

Food miles:  Food miles are a way of attempting to measure how far food has travelled before it reaches the consumer. It is a good way of looking at the environmental impact of foods and their ingredients. It includes getting foods to you, but also getting waste foods away from you, and to the landfill!

Carbon footprint: According to WHO, a carbon footprint is a measure of the impact your activities have on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced through the burning of fossil fuels and is expressed as a weight of CO2 emissions produced in tonnes.

Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub has been awarded €220,000 EU Horizon 2020 funding to enable West Kerry to participate as a Sustainable Innovation Pilot (SIP) for the next three years. This will see the roll-out of sensor technology to thirty farms to achieve greater carbon, cost and labour efficiency. Increased carbon efficiency will be achieved by extending the grazing season. At the launch were from left, Deirdre de Bhailís, Manager, Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub, Dingle Farm Ambassadors, Dinny Galvin, Lispole, Rónán Ó Siochrú, Baile an Ghoilín, Dingle, Co Kerry, on whose land the technology was launched, and Michael Kelliher, Dingle Peninsula. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan/ FREE PIC**


30 feirmeoir ó Chorca Dhuibhne chun dul i ngleic le fadhbanna athrú aeráide trí úsáid na teicneolaíochta

€220,000 de mhaoiniú ón AE ar mhaithe Scéim Phíolótach Nuálaíochta Inmharthana

(An Daingean, Máirt 13 Deireadh Fómhair)

Tá maoiniú de €220,000 bronnta ar Mhol Cruthaitheachta agus Nuálaíochta Chorca Dhuibhne ag Horizon 2020 de chuid an AE chun go mbeidh Corca Dhuibhne in ann a bheith páirteach i Scéim Phíolótach Nuálaíochta Inmharthana (SPNI) sna trí bliana amach romhainn. Le linn na tréimhse seo cífear cur i bhfeidhm teicneolaíocht bhraiteora ar 30 feirm chun breis éafachtúlacht charbóin, costais agus oibre a bhaint amach. Bainfear amach breis éifeachtúlacht charbóin trí shíneadh a chur leis an séasúr inír.

Ag tosnú amach Mí Dheireadh Fómhair i mbliana, beidh an Mol ag obair le Teagasc, Cumann Feirmeoirí na hÉireann, Net Feasa, soláthróir áitiúil teicneolaíochta lonnaithe sa Mhol agus Kerry Agribusiness, chun teicneolaíocht bhraiteora a chur i bhfeidhm, agus tús curtha leis seo cheana féin ar 30 feirm ar fud Chorca Dhuibhne tríd an Tionscadal Ambasadóirí Feirme. Cuireann an fhaisnéis ‘fíor-ama’ seo atá á bhailiú síos ar an aimsir agus na coinníollacha ithreach reatha, ar rátaí fáis an fhéir agus ar chomharthaí tábhachtacha timpeallachta eile. Déanfar anailís ar an bhfaisnéis seo agus úsáidfear í chun múnlaí agus uirlisí éifeachtacha a fhorbairt a chabhróidh le feirmeoirí chun cinní a ghlacadh agus chun breis luach a chur le réimse táirgí agus seirbhísí, m. sh.

  • paraiméadair mhaithe timpeallachta a úsáid agus margaíocht á dhéanamh ar thairgí ón gceantar;
  • eolas áitiúil ‘fíor-ama’ a chruthú a ligfidh do sholáthróirí a bpacáistí imeachtaí do thurasóirí a chur in oiriúint do na coinníollacha aimsire de réir mar a athraíonn siad;
  • branda dílis a chruthú do Chorca Dhuibhne chun go mbeidh an ceantar aitheanta mar rogha cheann scríbe ag cuairteoirí gur chás leo an inmharthanacht, agus tacaí a chur ar fáil do seo i bhfoirm faisnéis a léiríonn bia-aistir ghearra agus lorg carbóin íseal.

Tabharfaidh an  SPNI seo fiontair feirme le chéile le srutha ábhartha eile ar nós agrathurasóireachta agus/nó turasóireacht bhia, trí é a chur ar chumas feirmeoirí bheith ag obair le soláthróirí teicneolaíochta, lucht anailís bunachar agus foirne margaíochta. Trí chomhoibriú dá shórt seo a éascú, táthar ag súil gur féidir tacú chun freagraí a chruthú a raghfaidh i ngleic leis an athrú aeráíde agus a thacóidh le hinmharthanacht feirmeacha mar shlí beatha.

Tá sé mar aidhm ag an tionscadal:

1. Margaíocht a dhéanamh ar thairgí nua ag úsáid bunachar nua ón teicneolaíocht bhraiteora, go háirithe, ar mhaithe:

  • feirmeacha ag tosnú tionscnaimh nua agrathurasóireachta;
  • éascú ar thurasóireacht fianaise-bhunaithe atá dírithe ar fhógraíocht a dhéanamh ar na bia-aistir ghearra agus na loirg carbóin íseal a bhaineann le bia ar leithinis Chorca Dhuibhne;
  • branda inmharthana don leithinis a fhorbairt.

2. An teicneolaíocht a chur i bhfeidhm ar 30 feirm sa bhreis, meallta ag luach níos mó dá táirgí, agus ag éifeachtúlacht fheabhsaithe ar charbón, costas agus cúrsaí oibre. Bainfear amach breis éifeachtúlacht charbóin, go háirithe, trí fhaid a chur leis an séasúr inír; do gach 10 lá sa bhreis a chuirtear leis an séasúr inír bíonn laghdú de 1.7% ar astaíochtaí gás cheaptha teasa. Táthar ag tuar go bhféadfaí síneadh 10 lá a chur leis an séasúr inír i gCorca Dhuibhne trí bhainistíocht fheabhsaithe ar thalamh féarach de dheasca teicneolaíocht bhraiteora a úsáid. Anuas ar sin, chiallódh an síneadh 10 lae seo go mbeadh breis brabúis don bhfeirmeoir; le gach síneadh de 10 lá ar a séasúr inír, tagann méadú ar bhrabús de €27 do gach bó (foinse: Teagasc Dairy Carbon Navigator)

Beidh Mol Chorca Dhuibhne ag déanamh fógraíocht ag lorg Léirithe Spéise ó bhaill den phobal feirmeoireachta ar suim leo bheith páirteach san SPNI sna míonna amach romhainn. Má bhíonn fonn ar éinne réamh-fhógra a dhéanamh ar a spéis, is féidir seo a dhéanamh ach ríomhphost a chur chuig info@dinglehub.com

Teagmháil:

Deirdre de Bhailís

Bainisteoir,

Mol Cruthaitheachta agus Nuálaíochta Chorca Dhuibhne

Fón: 066 9150140

Rphost: info@dinglehub.com

Gréasán: www.dinglehub.com

Is fiontar pobail é Mol Teic (t/a the Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub) le tacaíocht ó Fhiontar Éireann, An Roinn Talmhaíochta agus Forbartha Tuaithe trí Scéim Athnuachana na mBailte agus na Sráidbhailte, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Comhairle Contae Chiarraí, eir, Net Feasa agus Cumann Tráchtála an Daingin.

Fís Mhol Teic ná pobal rafar a thógáil, ag cothú gréasán de pháirtithe leasmhara a chabhróidh le cruthú agus buanú post lán-aimseartha le pá maith i gCorca Dhuibhne.

Fonóta:

Bia-aistear: Is é atá i gceist le Bia-aistear ná slí chun tomhas a dhéanamh ar cé chomh fada is atá bia tar éis taisteal sara mbaineann sé amach an tomhaltóir. Is slí mhaith é chun tuiscint a fháil ar thionchar timpeallachta bianna agus a gcomhábhar. San áireamh tá seachadadh an bia chughat, ach anuas ar sin tá iompar fuíoll an bhia uait go dtí an láithreán líonadh talún san áireamh chomh maith.

Lorg Carbóin: Dar le hEagraíocht Dhomhanda Sláinte, is é atá i gceist le lorg carbóin na slí chun tomhas a dhéanamh ar thionchar do ghníomhaíochtaí ar an méid déocsaíd charbóin (CO2) a déantar trí bhreoslaí charbóin a dhó, agus cuirtear seo síos mar mheáchain d’astaíochtaí CO2 i bhfoirm tonnaí.

The inquisitive Cow…Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub has been awarded €220,000 EU Horizon 2020 funding to enable West Kerry to participate as a Sustainable Innovation Pilot (SIP) for the next three years. This will see the roll-out of sensor technology to thirty farms to achieve greater carbon, cost and labour efficiency. Increased carbon efficiency will be achieved by extending the grazing season. At the launch were, Deirdre de Bhailís, Manager, Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub, Dingle Farm Ambassador Rónán Ó Siochrú, Baile an Ghoilín, Dingle, Co Kerry, on whose land the technology was launched. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan/ FREE PIC**