The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith TD, has said that “a new direction is needed for the Irish agri-food sector. New thinking is needed on what needs to be done. More of the same will not be enough.”
Minister Smith was speaking at the IFA Forum - Harnessing Farming, Food & the Green Economy - where he confirmed that a new strategy for the development of the agri-food and fishing sector for the period up to 2020 is currently being developed and indicated that he expects it to be completed around the middle of next year and said that “it will set out what is needed to reposition Irish farming and food for growth.”
The Minister said he was “particularly pleased that a number of the chief executives of major food companies share the view that there is a need for a long-term strategic plan for the future of the industry, for which there is so much potential, especially given the projections for population growth over the next few decades.”
Minister Smith said that his Department and five State Agencies - Bord Bia, Teagasc, Enterprise Ireland, BIM and the Marine Institute - have been jointly involved in the preparation of a series of papers on the main sectors, which will give an informed basis to a web based public consultation process and request for submissions, which it is hopes to initiate this by the end of this month.
Minister Smith invited all those with a stake in the Irish agri-food sector, particularly those who had participated at the Forum, “to participate actively in the process, which I hope will stimulate debate and provide some answers. There are no easy answers, but I am convinced that unless this new strategy for 2020 gives concrete direction to the industry as a whole, it will be a lost opportunity to maximise the potential of the sector, and this opportunity may not arise again.”
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There is huge potential in Ireland for agroforestry systems to be developed as an option for farm diversification. CELT (Centre for Environmental Living and Training - Scariff, Co.Clare) are promoting the concept of agroforestry - combining trees with crops or with animals. The trees bring nutrients from the sub-soil and bedrock which is distributed via leaf-litter, they also provide shelter and shade.
Added values are carbon sequestration, enhanced biodiversity, landscape structure and, of course, the economic benefits of timber and non-timber products, including fruit and nuts - adding to food security. The trick is in the design of the system which will be unique to each site according to soil, elevation, slope, water courses, drainage, the size of the site and what products are required. Other factors include companion planting - some plants naturally work well together - and obviously the principles of permaculture would come into play. On larger sites, orchards and coppice management for timber could be included - and ideally ‘coppice with standards’ to provide a long-term investment in quality hardwoods such as oak, cherry.
Agroforestry is a win-win option that anyone can do, whatever size area of land. It ticks the boxes - food security, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, economic benefit. Pilot projects could incorporate training programmes and research / experimentation. So lets have some support please Minister Smith to get things up and running. Once a few pilot projects are set up at sites with different conditions, they could then be used as templates and adapted by landowners for their own specific requirement.