Stakeholder Perspectives on Irish Agri-Environmental Measures and HOLOS-IE Digital Platform Development

Agriculture is responsible for 37.8% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a target to reduce overall emissions by 42% by 2030. For this, aligning with the Climate Action Plan and the European Green Deal, many agri-environmental schemes have been employed. Several models are also available for accounting and reporting but mostly fail to report on a mixed farm level. HOLOS-IE, an agricultural system-based digital platform enabling the simulation of the sectoral GHGs and net farm carbon footprint, is in development to combat this. To ensure the model's development, we engaged with various stakeholders through interviews, workshops, conferences, and online surveys. These engagements revealed several key points, including improving soil health, offering financial support for transitioning to sustainable practices and adopting biodiversity initiatives to improve farms’ environmental impact. When discussing the HOLOS-IE model, 84.13% of stakeholders thought it would be beneficial, 9.52% were neutral, and 6.35% did not believe it would be helpful. Stakeholders recommended enhancing accuracy, improving user-friendliness and accessibility, considering profitability, and ensuring data confidentiality to improve the model. These will guide the model’s refinement, focusing on developing a reliable, user-centred tool to assess farm carbon footprint, and report on and plan climate-resilient agricultural practices.