Call for Farmer's Yards initiative to be extended nationwide
A Sinn Féin TD has called for the Farmer’s Yards initiative to be rolled out nationally as a way to tackle rural isolation.
Farmer’s Yards was developed by Dr. Shane Conway and Dr Maura Farrell at the University of Galway and was previously piloted in Mountbellew Mart.
The project, which has also been launched in the US, aims to support older farmers and promote social inclusion in the community.
Farmer's Yards uses marts as social spaces to combine peer-to-peer support, information sharing, and discussion around issues such as succession, ageing, isolation and farm life.
Farmer's Yards
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Rural Affairs, Conor D. McGuinness called on Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary to examine a national rollout of the initiative.
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy McGuinness said Farmer’s Yards is exactly the kind of practical, grounded rural initiative that government should be supporting.
"The strength of this initiative is that it is not asking anybody to go where they would not ordinarily go or to go outside their comfort zone.
"It is meeting people where they are at, where they feel comfortable and where they are turning up anyway.
"It is not just about isolation among older farmers; it is also about connecting younger farmers and giving people who are still farming but would love to retire a way to find somebody who might take on the enterprise."
The Waterford TD said the initiative is "critically important", as it allows farmers to share skills they have learned throughout their life.
Deputy McGuinness added: "Farming is not simply a job. For many older farmers, it is identity, routine, purpose, place and social connection".
"We talk a great deal about succession, but too often that conversation is limited to land transfer, legal arrangements and financial planning. The human side is neglected.
“What does a farmer do with his life if he steps back? How do we support that transition without isolation, shame or loss of purpose? How do we make sure older farmers are not left behind?," he said.
Older farmers
In response, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Jerry Buttimer acknowledged that "farmers do not just retire".
"They have a lifelong love and grá for the land, farming and agriculture," he said.
Minister Buttimer said the government "recognises the importance of this scheme, but also the well-being aspect and the issue of addressing socialisation".
"This is something the government should look at further. It is the responsibility of the minister for agriculture in the main, but it is about the farming community and working across the government.
"I am happy to converse further with the deputy because what we are trying to do is to keep people on the land. It is about succession planning and ensuring we have regeneration and a new uptake of farming," Minister Buttimer added.
