Farm walk & practical actions for nature with Farming for Nature Ambassador Olly Nolan 'Pollinator-friendly farming in the Dublin Mountains'. 

The Farming for Nature (FFN) farm walks are an opportunity for FFN Ambassadors to showcase their contribution to nature and good farming practices on their land.

Olly started his 8.5 acre smallholding in August 2012 with his partner Chris and since then have been developing it into an ecologically run self-sufficient farm with nature and wildlife in mind. Olly keeps a large number of beehives around Dublin/ Wicklow mountains. The bees pollinate the heather on the mountains and produce beautiful honey .They converted a disused sand arena into an organic vegetable garden, planted an orchard with mainly traditional fruit trees and keep rare breed animals from their small herd of Irish Dexters to a couple of rare breed pigs for the freezer. They have also leased a number of lands in the area.

There are no chemicals, fertilisers or herbicides used at all, nature helps keep a balance for example encouraging beneficial insects such as ladybirds keep greenfly at bay. Although not organically certified it is run organically, recycling everything and producing their own compost and mulches.

WHAT ARE THE FARM WALKS:

• This will be a 2.5 hour (approximately) visit to the farm and will include a walk around with the farmer/farm family, a look at some of the habitats and species present, as well as the livestock and/or crops, and a discussion with the farmer about how he/she/they manage the land in support of nature.
• These walks are for farmers and people with an interest in farming for nature. They are meant to be an interactive knowledge exchange between people with a real interest in farming and nature. They are not suitable for children, or for people/groups looking for an ‘organised walk’ in the countryside.
• These walks are non-profit but a booking fee is necessary to minimise the frustrating level of no-shows. It costs €10 to register and all funds are circulated back into the farming community.
• Please wear suitable footwear for uneven and potentially muddy conditions.
• We would ask that you please respect these farmers, their land and livestock when visiting. Dogs are not welcome. You will be turned away if you arrive with one.
• The exact location of the farm walk will be sent via email to ticket holders on the week of the walk (keep an eye on your email & your spam folder as sometimes the emails end up in spam).
• Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the walk commences.

Thank you to the NPWS and the DAFM for supporting these farm walks.
For more info on FFN events, resources, programmes - go to www.farmingfornature.ie