New survey for farmers

CAP Network Ireland recently launched a new survey for Irish farmers. The survey, which launched on Monday, 29th July, was developed through the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) coordination group. A collaborative project between CAP Network Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Agricultural consultants and Teagasc, the project aims to gather data about the sources of knowledge and information on which Irish farmers depend.

What is AKIS?

According to the European Commission’s website, AKIS recognizes that “knowledge and innovation play a crucial role in helping farmers, foresters and rural communities meet current and future challenges.” The website goes on to state that effective Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation systems (AKIS) are needed to make sure that “relevant people get connected, and that knowledge is shared between everyone who uses and produces it.”

One of the key aims of AKIS is to help make connections between science and agricultural practice and also to boost knowledge exchange and innovation within the sector.

The Irish AKIS

As set out in a Government of Ireland policy document, the vision of the Irish AKIS is to connect forge connections between individuals, groups and organisations by means of dynamic and consistent engagement. It is hoped that this will facilitate faster and more effective information flow between the various stakeholders in Irish agriculture.

The results

The Irish survey is available on the Government website, and farmers are encouraged to have their say. The survey results will be used to inform the work plan of the AKIS Coordination Group.