Our Work with Farmers

The National Biodiversity Data Centre have several projects to find our more about pollinators and biodiversity on farmland and to engage and highlight some of the ways farmers are working to support and learn about biodiversity on their farms. 

 

Protecting Farmland Pollinators EIP (European Innovation Partnership)

 

A research project (2019 to 2023), on 40 farms (beef, dairy, mixed and tillage), to develop a simple results-based payment method, that encourages and assists farmers to improve their whole farm pollinator score with minimal impact on daily farm business.

Here are some of the resources the programme will develop:

How to create solitary bee nest sites on your farm. Outlining how best to create solitary bee nest sites on your farm, developed in consultation with farmers using the programme data.

Further evidence-based action sheets for pollinators on the farm will be developed for, Trees, Hedgerow management and Fields and flowers.

 

Biodiversity on your Farm
 

A project to help farmers learn more about the species they are likely to find on their farm and how you can record your sightings. Every week there will be focus on a different species and a simple tip on how to help manage your farm for biodiversity.

Across the year, we will highlight 40 different species, with a focus on pollinators. 

 

 

Festival of Farmland Biodiversity
 

Since 2021, the National Biodiversity Data Centre has hosted a (virtual) Festival of Farmland Biodiversity in the month of May.

The aim is to encourage a more positive engagement around the topic of biodiversity and farmland, and to highlight some of the ways that farmers are working to support biodiversity on their farms. 

 

 

Farmer Moth Monitoring Project EIP (European Innovation Partnership)
  The farmer-led Moth Monitoring European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project has for the first time tested the usability of a farmer-led pollinator monitoring technique in the Irish context and has developed a simple farm moth monitoring system that is suitable for a national roll out. The project has also provided information on whether the number of moth species vary according to farm type (beef, dairy, mixed and tillage) and land use within the farm.