Following the launch of the first green cert course specialising in organic farming earlier this year in Drumshambo, Co Leitrim, the National Organic Training Skillnet (NOTS) will take in two more groups in January 2027.

With over 200 people expressing interest so far, demand is high for the organic and biological green cert course, which has a capacity of 25 students.

“After demand from our members for a few years, we applied to QQI for the very same qualification which is the Level 5 certificate in farming and the Level 6 special purpose award in farming,” Kevin Fagan of NOTS said.

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“We can take a maximum of 25 per QQI rules, but we took 18 students in our pilot this year. We whittled that down with interviews because we wanted people who were genuinely interested in organics. That group started in March and will be done in May 2027."

He added that although the course is taught from an organic and biological standpoint, conventional methods are still part of the curriculum.

Course structure

"The Level 5 takes around 10 months to complete and the Level 6 is completed over four to five months. There are 18 days in-person for Level 5 and six days in-person in Level 6.

"The course is blended learning, with a mix of online and in-person assignments, with learning support online," Fagan explained.

He noted the range in age and backgrounds of students completing the course.

“Some people think with the green cert it is young people who are coming in to get their tax breaks and inheritance, but of this year’s 18 students, 10 of them are over the age of 41, which is good because it shows that they are coming for the education.

“Some of them had a green cert from maybe 20 or 30 years ago and some of them are just into farming but have started off in organic farming and this was the way they wanted to learn.

“Demand is growing. We have two intakes starting in January 2027, one based in the north, in Drumshambo, Co Leitrim, and one in the south in Golden, Co Tipperary.

"We have a list of over 218 who have registered interest, so we will have a job to whittle that down."

Those interested can go to the NOTS website to find out more.