AgriSearch, the Northern Ireland Agricultural Research and Development Council, recently launched a new strategy statement for the next five years.
The independent charity said that the new strategy is centred around equipping farmers to face future challenges and placing the farmers needs at the heart of research and innovation.
Established in 1997, AgriSearch allows beef, dairy and sheep farmers to have direct involvement in production-orientated research.
Funds contributed to AgriSearch are used to commission research into the improvement and development of beef, sheep and dairy farming.
The guiding principal of the organisation is to provide practical benefit for primary producers to reduce costs, improve performance, drive innovation and improve welfare.
AgriSearch
Professor Gerry Boyle, chair of AgriSearch, said that farmers continue to experience “unprecedented challenges”.
AgriSearch has a crucial role to play in helping Northern Ireland farmers to succeed in economic, environmental and indeed social growth.
This new Statement of Strategy has been developed by the AgriSearch Trustees to ensure that we continue to deliver for our farmer levy payers,” he said.
Jason Rankin, AgriSearch strategy manager, added that the vision of the organisation is to “drive farm profitability and sustainability through science, research and innovation”.
He outlined the three priorities for 2025-2030 as follows:
- Placing the farmers’ needs at the heart of research and innovation in Northern Ireland;
- Grow the organisation’s long-term research and innovation platforms;
- Putting research into practice.
“In order to place the farmers’ needs at the heart of research and innovation, AgriSearch will be engaging proactively with our levy payers and levy collectors.
“We will articulate their research and innovation needs to government, academia and industry.
“AgriSearch also aims to build capacity, skills and knowledge within the sector. Work on this has already started with our new PhD Scholarships programme,” Rankin added.
Strategy
AgriSearch will also maintain and develop its successful farmer networks, with an announcement on a new on-farm dairy project due to be made in early 2025.
“In addition, AgriSearch also hopes to establish a long-term soil carbon monitoring programme which we believe is essential to ensure that farmers get recognition for carbon sequestered on their farms,” Rankin said.
“AgriSearch also aims to enhance its partnerships with the government, academia and industry.
“Research findings are, however, of no use if they are not implemented. AgriSearch has a key role in ‘getting research put into practice on farm –‘The last mile’.
“AgriSearch aims to increase its reach and communicate its work to all farmer levy payers, to drive the adoption of technologies and practices on farm and to enable and encourage farmers to share their innovations,” he added.
