Funding Of €220,000 For Dingle Creativity And Innovation Hub For Pilot Scheme

Posted by

.

At the launch of the Sustainable Innovation Pilot were from left, Deirdre de Bhailís, Manager, Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub, Dingle Farm Ambassadors, Dinny Galvin, Lispole, Ronan Sugrue, Baile an Ghoilín, Dingle, Co Kerry, on whose land the technology was launched, and Michael Kelliher, Dingle Peninsula. Photo: Valerie O’Sullivan

THE 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.

Continued below…

.

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;

2. 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.

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.

Comments are closed.

image