ARCZero to hold Conference and Farm Walk at Brook Hall Estate

The event will mark the end of the two and year, farmer-led, European Innovation Project, co-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Over the course of the project, ARCZero has made significant progress in accelerating the seven ARCZero farms towards Net Zero. With the aid of robust measurement and baseline creation, all seven farmers now know their own numbers for emissions and carbon stocks and are prioritising their most cost-effective actions first, in a manner that delivers other environmental benefits as well. Through its considerable outreach, the project has built a strong community of practitioners, researchers and concerned citizens, who are committed to working together to address the climate crisis using some of the lessons of ARCZero’s journey.

The close-out conference will provide an opportunity to meet and hear the experiences of the seven farmers. It will also be a reflection on the project's achievements, a sharing of lessons learned, and a look ahead to a resilient future, where profitable farming sits alongside the delivery of climate-smart farming.

The conference will run from 10am to 1pm when lunch will be served, followed by an optional farm walk at Brook Hall Estate.

Topics discussed on the farm walk will include carbon benchmarking, the role of renewables in accelerating your journey to net zero, an overview of soil health across the five different land uses on the estate and the role of trees in a food-producing landscape. The farm walk will also outline the results of a highly innovative trial on the grazing of willows by beef cattle which has been undertaken in partnership with Foyle Food Group, Queen’s University and AFBI.

A subsequent stand-alone farm walk will be held at 4.30pm.

All are welcome to attend the conference and/or farm walks, however, registration is required and can be done via the ARCZero website: https://www.arczeroni.org/