LISTEN TO THE RTÉ RADIO 1 AUDIO INTERVIEW How our Farming the System course is helping farmers build more diverse and resilient farms In November 2025, Síolta Chroí welcomed RTÉ Radio 1 to explore our work supporting farmers to transition towards more diverse, resilient and regenerative farming systems. The visit took place as part of our Irish Aid-supported project and during our six-week Farming the System regenerative agriculture course. The course brought together local farmers interested in exploring practical ways to make their farms more resilient, diversified and better equipped to respond to the challenges facing agriculture. Farming today comes with many local and global challenges, from rising input costs and changing markets to biodiversity loss and the impacts of climate change. For many farmers, diversification and regenerative agriculture can offer practical approaches to building greater resilience while also improving the health of the land. Our Farming the System course was designed to help farmers look at their farms as whole systems. Over six weeks, participants explored different aspects of regenerative agriculture and considered how changes on the farm can support healthier soils, greater biodiversity, more diverse enterprises and stronger long-term resilience. The course was aimed specifically at helping local farmers develop more diversified and resilient farms, while creating space for farmers to share experiences, ideas and practical knowledge with one another. During their visit to Síolta Chroí, RTÉ Radio 1 interviewed Síolta Chroí Director Gareth, as well as two participants on the Farming the System course, Trevor and Liz. Their conversations offered an opportunity to hear directly from those involved about why regenerative agriculture matters, what farmers are exploring through diversification, and how learning together can help support positive change within local farming communities. Hearing directly from farmers is an important part of the conversation around the future of agriculture. While regenerative farming can mean different things to different people, at its heart is an approach that looks beyond individual interventions and considers the health and resilience of the whole farm system. You can listen to the RTÉ Radio 1 interview featuring Gareth, Trevor and Liz below: LISTEN TO THE RTÉ RADIO 1 AUDIO INTERVIEW The interview provides a valuable insight into the Farming the System course and the experiences of the farmers who took part. At Síolta Chroí, we believe that supporting farmers to experiment, learn and share knowledge is an important part of creating a more resilient agricultural future. Regenerative agriculture or agroecology is not about a single farming method or a one-size-fits-all solution. It is about developing farming systems that work with the natural resources and conditions of each farm, while improving resilience, biodiversity and soil health and creating viable opportunities for farmers. Through projects such as Farming the System, we aim to support farmers with the knowledge, connections and confidence to explore what this can look like in practice. We are grateful to Irish Aid for supporting this work and to the farmers who took part in the Farming the System course and shared their experiences with RTÉ Radio 1. Listen to the full RTÉ Radio 1 interview above to hear Gareth, Trevor and Liz discuss regenerative agriculture, diversification and the Farming the System course.RTÉ Radio 1 Visits Síolta Chroí to Explore Regenerative Agriculture / Agroecological
Farming the System: Supporting Farmers to Create Resilient Farms
RTÉ Radio 1 Meets the Farmers Behind the Course
Listen to the RTÉ Radio 1 Interview
Building a More Resilient Future for Irish Agriculture
