Join-to-Farm explored how joint farming ventures can engage underrepresented groups, specifically youth and women, in agriculture. Using narrative research to understand family farmers’ experiences and views, findings of which were interrogated in multi-actor groups of farmers, advisors and national agents promoting social sustainability and generational renewal.
The AgILe lab facilitated co-design of an extension method to support farmers to consider collaborative farming in an empowered way. Ways of establishing collaborative farming ventures that consider farmers’ real concerns were co-designed. The extension approaches were packaged in an interactive pdf handbook format and were used in advisory services in Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as referenced internationally in the context of the UN International Year of Family Farming – 2014. The work was extended to address the topic of women in agriculture in more depth, and an artist illustrated compelling comic strips and images to prompt discussion and reframing of gendered norms in Irish agriculture.