"This handbook is a deeply informed guide, an invitation to reflect on how we might reimagine our relationship with the land itself, one that empowers farmers with the tools and wisdom necessary to engage in practices that can help restore a connection between humans and the natural world in an ecologically responsible way, in a manner that will improve the natural health of our precious countryside."
– Michael D. Higgins Uachtarán na hÉireann President of Ireland
"This handbook is a gift to farmers and their families struggling to make sense of their world. [...] The Farming for Nature Handbook is a great guide to those on the journey towards a more sustainable farming system and to those who are looking to get there but don’t know where to start."
– Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union
"An invaluable resource for the rapidly growing community who are discovering that farming with nature is the only way forward."
– Darina Allen, food journalist & advocate, Ballymaloe Cookery School & Organic Farm
"Farming For Nature’s work is transforming growers and consumers attitudes to living healthily for all things. This guide is essential reading for all those interested not only in food and farming but for the health of the economy. This is about farming yes, but it’s about stewardship and farming as if we had a long term plan as a species. This book will charm and excite you and will make traditional farmers think again about the meaning of legacy"
– Sir Tim Smit, Founder of The Eden Project
"This is a great manual with so much useful information for farmers to help change their farming business and their farmed landscape to be more nature friendly. I hope all farmers have a copy of this on their kitchen table soon and get inspiration from its contents. Also all policy makers read through the manual carefully to understand how farming can be more productive, profitable, and beneficial to nature."
– Martin Lines, Farmer and CEO of Nature Friendly Farming UK
"This book is the ultimate go-to guide for anyone who wants to attract life to their land. It’s the definitive work for farmers who want to play their part in nature restoration. Full of practical suggestions workable within farm systems of any size, intensive or not, it offers in detail how farmers and land managers can overcome the challenges of making space for nature. If species could communicate what they need in this world to thrive, this is the book they’d write!"
– Ella McSweeney, Irish Times journalist and RTE presenter
"There is much to be done to recover the wildlife of farmed Ireland ie practically all Ireland. This book is a well-written and well-designed and helpful guide to what to do. If every farmer in Ireland did a couple of things from these pages (maybe one of them in their own garden) then progress would be made and, I agree with the authors when they warn the reader that ‘Farming for nature can be addictive!’ – let’s hope this book feeds that addiction."
– Mark Avery, UK Blogger, Columnist, and former Conservation Director for RSBP
"Imagine if there was one single book that could address the incredibly complex issue of converting our current agricultural enterprises towards a more nature-sympathetic way? This is it. Genuinely. It’s a handbook like no other. A revolutionary reimagining of farming in Ireland; an exploration of how farmers can take back sovereignty of the land and control of their own fate, by reestablishing a more harmonious, equitable, fruitful and stable relationship with nature. These pages can help set land owners on a path towards a sustainable future for themselves and their descendants"
– Manchán Magan, writer, TV presenter & homesteader
"Wow – what a wonderful manual this is! It comprehensively covers a whole variety of nature friendly ideas for farms – whatever the enterprise – big or small, upland or lowland. The illustrations are really lovely."
– Pippa Hackett, Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity
"This book is essential reading for both farmers and non-farmers who want to do their part to stop biodiversity decline. I wish that I had a copy when I started my farming career, it’s a must have for any nature lover’s library."
– Hannah Quinn Mulligan, journalist, RTE broadcaster & farmer
"The Farming for Nature Handbook is packed with examples of farmer’s experiences of working with nature to make the farm richer in every way. It offers helpful tips on everything from improving soil function and fertility; enhancing grassland biodiversity; protecting the cultural and natural value of hedgerows; improving tree cover; and allowing life in wetlands and waterways to bounce back. Practical actions are outlined with real-life experiences of farmers who have carried out these actions already. Whether you are a seasoned nature friendly farmer or at the beginning of a journey to welcoming nature back in to your land, this beautifully laid out and illustrated handbook is essential reading for everyone."
– Anja Murray, ecologist, broadcaster & author
"The Farming for Nature Handbook is a beautifully illustrated guide to farming for nature that can be applied across diverse agricultural settings. It covers everything from grassland to arable systems to smaller scale gardens. It contains advice on the management of an extensive range of nature positive features on farms from hedgerows to wetlands to native woodland and agroforestry. The book is inspired by and collates the experiences of farming for nature ambassadors supported by extensive research. What sets this manual apart is that it is peppered throughout with advice and insights written by farmers for farmers. These farming for nature ambassadors demonstrate the art of what is possible. The book highlights the benefits of farming for nature not just for the environment on which we depend, but also associated benefits related to enhancing resilience to climate change and improving farm profitability. I would highly recommend it for all farmers and members of the wider community interested in how we can enhance nature on our farms."
– Dr James Moran, senior lecturer at ATU and policy advisor of agri-ecology at EU level
"The Farming For Nature initiative, supported by my Department, provides various information resources for those looking to manage land with nature in mind. The website has a myriad of examples, guides, videos and so on. When my officials in National Parks & Wildlife Service devised this concept of a physical, tangible book, I knew this was something very worthwhile and we were happy to provide further support. It is likely to be on the kitchen dresser or in the office or in the jeep for years to come; something that can be dipped into at various times of the year and for various interests."
– Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
"The National Parks and Wildlife Service is proud to support the Farming For Nature initiative by way of funding and advice. I am very happy to see this [book] come to fruition and as core funders of the project, NPWS are proud to have enabled this. The authors and all contributors are to be commended and this book should have a positive and lasting legacy."
– Dr Barry O’ Donoghue, Assistant Principal at the National Parks & Wildlife Service
"The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have been a supporter of the FFN initiative since its beginning and are delighted to see the cumulation of their positive work brought together in this handbook. It will be an invaluable resource for the farming community but also for anyone with an interest in farmland biodiversity. Farmers are the custodians of nature in our landscape and this handbook is a record and reminder of the vital role they play. It is sure to become a familiar reference point in many households for years to come."
– Niall Ryan, Agricultural Inspector, Nature and Land Use Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
