December 2021 Newsletter from Kerry Social Farming
Our December Newsletter is now available.
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Radio Kerry on New Year's Day 2022
Kerry Social Farming featured on Saturday Supplement on Radio Kerry on New Year’s Day 2022. Well done to our host farmers, participants and their families who took part and thanks to Frank and Siobhán Lewis for all their work on the programme. The podcast is now on Radio Kerry’s website, you can listen on the link below.
Listen Here
December 2021 Newsletter from Kerry Social Farming
Our December Newsletter is now available.
Download
Gerard (Casúr) O Sullivan RIP
It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Ger O Sullivan (Casúr), Laharn South,
Cahersiveen. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Mary Anne, all of the extended O’Sullivan
and O’Shea families and Earl Leahy.
Ger has been a passionate advocate for social farming throughout his time in this project, we are
grateful for his support and work with Kerry Social Farming throughout the years. Ger along with
Mary Anne have been phenomenal host farmers and welcomed Earl not only into their farming lives
but their family and home life.
Ger has been part of Kerry Social Farming since 2015. Ger went over and above his role as host
farmer and travelled the country to spread the word of social farming, the Ploughing Championships,
Cork, Westport, Donegal to name a few and many promotional events throughout Kerry.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Article from the Skellig Coast Advertiser, Summer 2021:
https://rip.ie/death-notice/gerard-cas%C3%BAr-o-sullivan-cahersiveen-kerry/476437
October 2021 Newsletter from Kerry Social Farming
Our October Newsletter is now available.
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FARCURA NATIONAL SOCIAL FARMING CONFERENCE 2021
Kerry Social Farming, successfully hosted the FARCURA National Social Farming Conference on Friday 24th September on the farm of Mike O’Sé at Canuig, Mastergeehy, South Kerry. Over 100 people attended and enjoyed tours of the farm and wonderful hospitality.
The event was opened by Councillor Michael Cahill, Chair of the Board of SKDP and also addressed by Noel Spillane, SKDP CEO. Host farmer Mike O’Sé, participant Gerald O’Sullivan, Sean Houlihan and Mary Keane of Kerry Parents and Friends Association welcomed those present and explained how social farming operates on the O’Sé farm and the benefits it brings for both participant and host farmer.
The Conference was addressed by Clare Gormley, Higher Executive Officer, Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine (DAFM). She commended the work of all social farming projects which DAFM fund, noting their commitment to improving the lives of so many people and increasing social inclusion.
Liz Kennedy & Dermot Carroll, of Limerick Institute of Technology provided an update on FARCURA research project ahead of the final Conference online on September 30th. The position of social farming initiatives across the island of Ireland was reviewed with presentations from Brian Smyth, Project Manager, Social Farming Ireland, Nicky Green, Horticulturist, Field of Dreams Centre, Cork, Sheila Kelleher, Social farming Co-ordinator, IRD Duhallow, North Cork and, via video link, from Aoibeann Walsh , Head of Social Farming and Innovation, at Rural Support, Northern Ireland.
Dr Brendan O Keeffe, researcher and geographer gave the closing address and commended all those delivering social farming and local social inclusion projects across the country.
You can now view the Conference presentations here:
September 2021 Update from Kerry Social Farming
South Kerry Development Partnership, through Kerry Social Farming, is hosting FARCURA National Social Farming Conference on
Friday 24th September on the farm of Mike O’Sé at Canuig, Mastergeehy, South Kerry.
The Conference will review the position of social farming initiatives across Ireland and will be addressed by Clare Gormley, Higher Executive Officer, Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine.
Liz Kennedy & Dermot Carroll, of Limerick Institute of Technology will provide an update on FARCURA research project ahead of the final Conference on Septebmer 30th in Brussels. There will be presentations from
Brian Smyth, Project Manager, Social Farming Ireland, Nickky Green, Horticulturist, Field of Dreams Centre, Cork,
Triona Dennehy (Training, Employment & Social Inclusion Co-Ordinator at IRD Duhallow, North Cork and
Aoibeann Walsh ,Head of Social Farming and Innovation, at Rural Support, Northern Ireland.
Dr Brendan O Keeffe, researcher and geographer will close the Conference.
July 2021 Newsletter from Kerry Social Farming
Our July Newsletter is now available.
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Education opportunity for Kerry Farmers
Kerry Social Farming is hosting an education information evening via Zoom
in mid-August 2021 (postponed from 27th July). Course Director Belinda Gascoigne (Skellig CRI/ACE UCC) will
speak about the Certificate in Practice Support in Social Farming, which will be running again
from September. We’ll also hear from host farmers who graduated from this course in 2020 and
2021. If you’d like to join the event and find out more about this unique learning opportunity, you
can email jmccrohan@skdp.net or phone 066 9472724. Here is the link to the full Press Release,
giving more details about this Course.
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Summer 2021
As we move into summer 2021, Kerry Social Farming is breaking new ground as part of an exciting collaborative project aimed at promoting biodiversity within the farming landscape and foregrounding inclusion and accessibility for social farming participants. The Kerry Eco-Social Farming Biodiversity Project, led by South Kerry Development Partnership, has recently been successful in obtaining funding under the European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) Initiative of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme. The project seeks to build on the existing social farming network and enhance the practice of biodiversity on host farms across the county. This unique approach will provide valuable training opportunities for host farmers and participants as they learn more about biodiversity measures and how to implement, monitor and sustain them on the farm.
Other partners in the initiative include NEWKD, Kerry Biosphere Reserve, Transition Kerry, Greenbelt, Biodiversity Partners, Kerry County Council, Teargas, and NPWS.
Kerry Social Farming’s Annual Meeting
Kerry Social Farming’s Annual Meeting took place on March 26th via Zoom. The interest in the project and the whole area of social inclusion was evident from large numbers who logged on and engaged with the event. A progress report was provided by the social farming facilitators and management team on various aspects of Kerry Social farming, including how the project is coping with challenges posed by the COVID19 pandemic, the continuing work on FARCURA Erasmus project and on plans for the future. There were contributions from new host farmer Thomas O’Connor (Manna Organic Farm) of Camp, Tralee and Kerry Parents and Friends Association support worker Sean Houlihan. The stories of three newer participants were shared by the facilitators who support them. Margaret O’Sullivan (Studio 3 Tralee) provided an update on services which they provide and on their engagement with social farming. The meeting also heard from Belinda Gascoigne (Skellig CRI/UCC) and Dr Joan Cronin (UCC) regarding the ongoing success of UCC Certificate in Practice Support in Social Farming.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD contributed a message in which she warmly praised all those involved in the founding, growth and ongoing expansion of social farming in Kerry.
