Sorcha Love

Project Title: Supporting farmers to co-innovate for sustainability: an action research approach to the Waters of LIFE

Biography: Sorcha is researching how farmers can be better supported to co-innovate for sustainability through agri-environmental schemes in Ireland. Her work focuses on the Waters of LIFE project, which aims to reverse the deterioration of Ireland’s most pristine waters through a Results Based Payment Scheme.

Using an action research approach, she explores how farmers, advisors, and other stakeholders work together to design and implement environmental measures. A key focus of the research is understanding how scientific and farmer-led knowledge interact, and how this shapes farmer engagement and decision-making. This research is important in the wider context of improving water quality, biodiversity, and climate resilience in agriculture. By identifying what enables meaningful participation and co-learning, the project aims to support more effective and locally relevant agricultural policies.

Sorcha holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Sustainability from University College Dublin.

Teagasc email: sorcha.love@teagasc.ie

University email: sorcha.love@ucdconnect.ie

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sorcha-love

Teagasc Research Programme: Crops, Environment and Land Use Programme

Research Location: Teagasc Athenry