The allocation of just under €1m in supports between two Irish tillage research projects under a European agro-biodiversity research call has been announced by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon.

One of the projects will seek to exploit genetic diversity in wheat to improve the resilience of Europe’s food supply, while the other will look to “future ready” barley by taking advantage of the diversity within the cereal’s genes.

UCD will play a partnering role with the Department of Agriculture in both projects, with Teagasc also to join as a partner in the wheat research project.

“These two projects will provide practical knowledge on how diversity can improve our agricultural systems,” Minister Heydon said on announcing the award of funding.

“They will focus on improving the resilience of barley and wheat crops across the EU, two of its most important crops.

“A central element of the Food Vision 2030 Strategy is to restore and enhance biodiversity and this investment in research I am announcing today will be an important contributor to delivering on this commitment.”

Dashboard

Launched also by Minister Heydon was an online dashboard which gives the public and stakeholders information on projects awarded public supports.

“This Department is a significant funder of public-good research in Ireland, having invested over €207m since 2010.

“It is crucial we continue to invest in modernising and increasing the resilience of our agri-food systems.

“The research we fund plays a crucial role in that and it is important that it can be accessed by the public and stakeholders alike.”