Hemp4Soil - A Regenerative Farming Experiment Loop Head.
Hemp4Soil –
A Regenerative Farming Experiment on Loop Head
“Exploring the potential to improve soil quality & biodiversity while also creating alternative sustainable income streams for farms on Loop Head”.
Would you set aside ONE ACRE for 12 Months to be used for a Loop Head Experiment?
Are you one of the many progressive and forward thinking farmers on Loop Head looking for new ways to farm with nature?
‘Loop Head Together’ are delighted to be involved in this exciting experiment, in conjunction with ten local farmers, the Department for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine and local scientific and biodiversity experts, to explore how growing HEMP on your land, could not only improve the overall quality of the soil and benefit local biodiversity, but could also provide sustainable income streams to the farmers in the future – and provide a product, from which the offshoots could potentially be used within local industry. All, of these potential outcomes align with the European Green Deal.
NB: This experiment surrounds the monitored growth of a crop of HEMP on one acre of land over a 12-month period. This experiment requires no extra work on behalf of the farmer. All seeding, tending to and assessing is carried out by the Project Team.
What exactly is regenerative farming?
Regenerative Farming is a land-management practice whereby the farmer allows patches of their land to rest from intensive farming and atrifical fertilisers, and instead work with nature to improve soil health, crop yields, water resilience, and nutrient density.
Removing the use of chemicals on that piece of land for that period, also improves the microbial life (biodiversity) of the soil and ultimately will save the farmer money.
So, what does this experiment entail?
This experiment would require 10 local farmers to agree to allow 1 acre of their land to be used by the experiment for a minimum of 12 months.
The one acre of land would be managed by the project’s operational team for that 12-month period and would be returned to the farmer at the end of the project in the best condition.
A hemp cultivation licence will be required by each farmer and this will be achieved with the support of the project team.
The ‘one acre of land’ would be seeded with a crop of HEMP by the project team.
The crop would be regularly tended to and assessed by the project team.
The soil quality would be assessed regularly by the project team throughout the duration of the experiment.
What are the benefits of partaking in this experiment?
Reduce the presence of chemical fertilisers in the soil
Improve Soil Microbial activity
Increase Carbon content of soil
Training Opportunities and Knowledge Transfer
Spreading the good practice throughout the community
Creating the potential for a circular Economy solution
Exploring the potential for offshoot local industry (other uses for the HEMP i.e. sustainable bale netting – ref: other loop head project link to which is HERE)
Loop Head community working towards being Irelands first carbon neutral community.
Timing: Aligning Loop Head with Europe’s Green Deal at this important juncture in terms of climate action, could prove hugely beneficial to the farming community and to the wider community in general. The timing of this experiment is very positive.
Carbon Credits: There is potential for Loop Head to work towards being carbon neutral
We need you:
We would be delighted to hear from any farmers interested in partaking in this experiment.
Payment: The farmers who partake will be paid a stipend of €300 for partaking in the project – This is a nominal ‘rent payment’ for the land, for that 12-month period – although the payment is not huge, there will be no work expected of the farmer in terms of tending to this project (the acre) and the future benefits to the farmer and the wider community could be huge.
I might be interested in partaking in the Hemp4Soil experiment, what should I do next?
Overall, you will not be required to do very much at all, but there are, of course, considerations:
For instance, we will ask that you submit 1 acre of your land – an acre of your choice – to the experiment.
We will ask that you commit that specified one acre to the experiment for the duration of the 12-month period (i.e. the duration of the experiment)
We will ask that you are happy to allow the project’s operational team members onto your land on a regular basis (at times agreed by all parties) in order, to plant, tend to and assess the progress of the experiment
If you are interested in taking part in this exciting experiment and talking directly with the project co-ordinator, email Laura Foley on laurajaynefoley@gmail.com
