Holistic Context

why we want to be farmers for the community around us

Make it stand out.

  • quality of life

  • - What kind of life do I lead? When do I feel most content?

  • Statement of purpose

  • - What is the organisation formed to do? Why is what we do important? What is our unique contribution? Why do we exist?

  • Future resource base

  • - How must we behave to ensure the trust, respect and loyalty and support of others now and long into the future? How must the ecosystem processes function to sustain our quality of life now? And for future generations?

RoB

Quality of life:

1.       I would like to work in a physical environment which challenges my problem solving ability. I enjoy building things with my hands and using their function. I also get great pleasure out of how it functions and looks aesthetically.

2.       I would like to run profitable enterprises on a small mixed farm.

3.       I would like to be financially comfortable (i.e I can afford to live comfortably, paying for rent, food, money for fun stuff – surf and trips, a little savings also etc.).

4.       I would like have time to enjoy life, spend time with my partner and friends and time to explore the mystery in new things I come across.

5.       I would like to lead a lifestyle and setting goals which will provide the next generation with a place where they can become educated in regenerative agriculture and an alternative approach to the common pathway.

6.       I would like to live with passion, trying to attain goals which result in the improvement of our local environment. Increasing biodiversity, building soil and providing local people with nutrient dense food.

7.       I would like to live with the local community and try to meet their community and food needs.

8.       At work, I want work with quality and efficiency. (I want to be the one of the most efficient  profitable farms in Ireland)

9.       I would like learn and try new things consistently and seek the help of people to do so.

10.   I would like to work with people as part of a team.

Seán

Quality of life:

1.       I would like to be self-employed which give me control of my own time. The flexibility to plan my own day around work, family and friends is very important.

2.       Financially comfortable so that my family has a good standard of living and my children have the same opportunities my parents provided for me. Generate sufficient income to explore potential business ideas and invest when I wish to do so. 

3.       Being challenged on a daily basis helps keep me focused and active mentally and physically. This helps me grow as a person and enjoyable to be around. Learning and upskilling regularly opens my mind to new ideas. 

4.       Engaging with people towards a common goal gives me a great sense of purpose. This can be with family and friends working on projects or with the surrounding community as we try create a more prosperous local economy, one that caters for the needs of the people. 

Our Statement of purpose

  • - What is the organisation formed to do?

  • - Why is what we do important?

  • - What is our unique contribution?

  • - Why do we exist?

    1.       We work with nature to run profitable enterprises which produces nutrient dense food and an experience for people to see and witness. We want people to question how their food is produced and how farming practices are carried out.

    2.       We will regenerate soils and increase biodiversity within our local environment by incorporating livestock into systems which mimics how herds/flocks behave in the wild. We provide a path for them to reach their full potential.

    3.       We are leaving behind a legacy for the next generation who can continue to build soil after we are gone. This means caring for regenerating the microbiome, biodiversity, mycorrhizal fungi, the water cycle, minerals, the energy cycle and community dynamics in our farming methods and practice.

    4.       We support the local community and give them a local affordable option for their food.

    5.       Knocknarea farm is a place for people to visit for a step in a different regenerative direction. Any person can buy food (online or at farm shop) and their voice is listened to.

    6.       We are taking on responsibility from our parents’ generation, caring for them and leading into a future which we consider worthwhile.

    7.       We stand up as young farmers and take responsibility for the direction farming goes in the future.

Our Future resource base

  • How must we behave to ensure the trust, respect and loyalty and support of others now and long into the future?

  • How the ecosystem functions to sustain our quality of life now? And for future generations?

Our Behaviour:

1.       We must behave with integrity, be patient and work within the current rules set out by the EU. Creating a brand that has strong ethical values is essential. Our environmental and livestock standards will go far beyond the norm. 

2.       We must be loyal to our neighbours, helping them where we can possible and have no shame in asking for help. 

3.       We must be honest and open why certain decisions were made. 

4.       We support local projects that enhance the community’s quality of life and compromise sometimes to care for the community opinion. Be generous with our time for the common good. 

5.        We act with no sense of ego or authority. Our farming practice will do all the talking. We will not try to convince anybody but allow them to make up their minds. 

Our Landscape:

1.       Working with nature is vital to the health of ecosystems. Protect and enhance where possible so future generations can live a long healthy life.

2.       Farming in a way that produces nutrient dense food while also encouraging life above and below the earth’s surface.