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Duckweed as a novel protein crop for Ireland
We were delighted to recently spend a fruitful day with local dairy farmers at the Brainwaves stakeholder engagement event in UCC. The farming industry in Ireland is rapidly changing, with both new threats and new opportunities arising.
At this informal event Prof Marcel Jansen presented on some of the new opportunities for integrating duckweed cultivation in Irish farming. PhD candidate, Cian Redmond, discussed the results from his reserach conducted by growing Duckweed on waste water streams collected from local dairy farms. Stephen O’Sullivan presented on the story of the Green Farmer Cooperative, and their work on duckweed as a cash-crop for dairy farmers.
After the informal talks we embarked into the Indian summer sunshine for an informative tour and demonstration of the Duckweed Growth Facilities both in the labs and glasshouses at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Thank you to our stakeholders for participating in the Brainwaves project, sharing their insights from a farmers perspective and for making the day such an interesting and informative event.