Awards & Commendations
2021
A letter from the Taoiseach of Ireland
Taoiseach of Ireland acknowledging the amazing work of the Farming For Nature Ambassadors.
“The Farming For Nature initiative is an excellent vehicle to showcase these sterling efforts that can and are being made by the custodian of our green landscape. The farming practices displayed by your Ambassadors should act as a beacon to usher in new standards we must all reach for by integrating sustainable food production and the healing of our environment. It is vital to recognise and acknowledge the important work of farmers in improving the natural health of our countryside…..
Farmers are at the heart of caring for nature and our landscape and likewise nature, biodiversity and healthy ecosystems are at the core of farming. In a time where we face both a climate and biodiversity crisis and as we strive towards building a greener approach, positive messages from farmers for farmers, as your initiative achieves are invaluable.”
2020
A letter from the President of Ireland
President Michael D Higgins wrote to Farming For Nature and the farming Ambassador ahead of the 2020 awards. He said
“Projects such as this are a powerful and tangible exemplar of what can be done from the ‘bottom-up’, tackling the issue at grassroots level and fostering widespread awareness, creating an environment consciousness that can deliver powerful, far-reaching and lasting results”
and stressed the importance of farmers in addressing biodiversity and climate crises
“I therefore wish to encourage farmers to do whatever they can even ostensibly, small changes can make a huge impact cumulatively. Your efforts represent real and tangible forms of active citizenship, contributing to social betterment in so many communities across the country, taking action on crucial ecological issues in order to make a real difference”
Thank you to the President for taking the time to write such encouraging words.
Act for Biodiversity Challenge – Farming For Nature wins Global Biodiversity Award.
From a pool of over 200 great conservation projects across the world, Farming for Nature was awarded 2nd place in a global biodiversity challenge! The ‘Act For Biodiversity Challenge’ sought to identify ‘bold social innovators who are bringing people together to take on the extensive, complex, and urgent issue’ of biodiversity loss, and to identify ways to ‘collaborate to preserve and restore biodiversity through solutions designed for agriculture, urban environments and forests’.2019
The National Biodiversity Conference: New Horizons for Nature has announced its Conference Charter, ‘Our Seeds for Nature’. The Charter was agreed at a meeting chaired by Minister Josepha Madigan in Dublin Castle on the first day of the conference, which was attended by Minister Bruton, Minister Doyle and other senior leaders from 14 Government Departments, state agencies, private sector and non-governmental organisations. The ‘Our Seeds For Nature’ Conference Charter comprises a suite of commitments for nature and biodiversity that go beyond the respective organisations’ current work programmes to support, scale up and fast track the implementation of the National Biodiversity Action Plan. They agreed to 40 Seeds for Nature, supporting the development of Farming for Nature was no.1 on the list. This is co-funding between NPWS and DAFM. More information here.
