The Signpost Advisory Programme (SAP) continues to expand reach, with significant progress made in farmer engagement, adviser training and the development of tools that support climate and sustainability planning. Almost 20,000 participants are now enrolled, marking substantial progress in building climate action capacity by Irish farmers.

Industry collaboration

Industry collaboration remains a critical part of the SAP approach. A number of processors, including Dairygold, Arrabawn-Tipperary and North Cork Co-op, have incorporated a SAP one-on-one consultation into their own sustainability programmes. Several other processors are currently working with Teagasc to add this to their operations.

The SAP one-to-one consultation involves a one-hour meeting with the climate adviser in the region. Teagasc climate advisers review the farm map and discuss its layout, topography and the farming practices employed by participants. They then look at the AgNav results, which detail the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data and nutrient (N and P) balances for participants’ farms.

The climate adviser uses the AgNav Forecaster to evaluate the impacts of climate actions on GHG emissions and changes to the nutrient balance. They also use the Pollution Impact Potential (PIP) maps to establish where the risks to water quality are likely to arise on the farm. Finally, the advisers create a sustainability plan.

Adviser feedback indicates that the consultations have been highly effective at re-establishing confidence in protected urea, a key emissions mitigation measure. They have observed that farmers had varying levels of understanding regarding emissions and water quality, but limited knowledge of nutrient balance. They also note that farm fragmentation continues to pose challenges for nutrient management and nitrogen reduction. Importantly, advisers reported very low rates of “no shows”, indicating strong farmer willingness to engage.

Farmer participants have found practical value in learning about nutrient balance, how it influences farm efficiency, and the use of PIP maps to identify nitrogen and phosphorus vulnerable areas of their farms. Many felt the advisers provided clear, farm-specific guidance, with comments such as “it was like the adviser was walking my farm with me” and “it was one of the best courses that I was on”. Farmers also expressed strong appreciation for the quality, knowledge, and professionalism of advisers delivering the consultations.

Why farmers take action

Ciaran Gunn, a master’s student evaluating the Signpost Advisory Programme in Mayo, has recently surveyed 80 drystock farmers from the region. His analysis has shown substantial variation in the levels of full or partial adoption of the key technologies identified in the Signpost 12 Steps Action Plans for Drystock Farmers (see Figure 1).

Sustainability actions are ranked in Figure 1 from highest full or partial adoption (left to right). This coincides with respondents’ perceptions of the ease of adoption. In other words, lime was considered easy to adopt and most of the farmers were using it. The exception to the rule was the adoption of protected urea. While 80% of farmers said that it was easy to adopt, only 30% had partly or fully adopted the fertiliser. Challenges such as lack of availability of the fertiliser type and limited availability in 50kg bags were barriers to greater adoption.

The farmers surveyed were asked about their motivation for engaging with climate action (Figure 2). They cited economics, their adviser, doing the right thing for the environment and the availability of grants as motivators for technology adoption.