A farming project to help a Co. Cork farm become carbon neutral has been awarded the €2m Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Future Innovator Prize.
The Farm Zero C programme led by Professor Kevin O’Connor at University College Dublin (UCD), is working with Shinagh farm near Bandon, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2027.
The project aims to extend the strategy to a further 5,000 farms within five years, through a mobile phone app, which will use farm and satellite data and habitat mapping to give farmers information on their carbon footprint and ways to make reductions.
Working with dairy producer Carberry Group, the study has been looking at how to boost biodiversity and soil health. It has also studied how to reduce methane gas emissions on farms.
“Agriculture is a critically important sector for Ireland socially and economically and dairy farms have huge potential to help Ireland to address two existential challenges, climate change and biodiversity loss,” said Professor Kevin O’Connor.
Awarding the prize, Minister Simon Harris added: “Innovative and disruptive ideas like the Farm Zero C project will become increasingly important as we deliver against the Government’s ambitious Climate Action Plan and significantly reduce our carbon emissions.”
LSL News.