Events

Launch of new our new organisation!

We gathered to watch the film made last year about the stars of the bioregion and why funding should be changed to support them as a portfolio that delivers social, natural, inspiration and financial returns across the bioregion. The film was a huge success – we must share it more widely!

Before that, we also discussed the need for a Land Observatory, the benefit of peer support for different farming approaches, and how we might develop education for and in nature. It was all in all a grand occasion especially seeing each other on film from the wonderful Gaelach Gorm Theatre at Kill Community Centre.

The need for new ways of farming for a future where value is created for nature and society while also delivering financial sustainable and predictable returns is clear. Earlier BWL events have introduced bioregional stakeholders to the Herenboeren farms in the Netherlands. A group of ten, farmers and others, travelled on an immersive learning journey to see how replication of this model might work in Ireland and how we can take inspiration to action. A follow-up online sharing event of our learnings and insights was held online on 29th April 2024. A working group has since been formed to follow up, with the name ‘Our Farms’

Read the detailed report of insights and learnings here.

Launch of short film celebrating the beauty of biodiversity, multispecies swards and all that only scratch the surface of the land we will depend on for generations to come, however transitory we may be today.

See the film here

A group met to discuss what options we have for land – be it a private land owner wanting to do new things to ensure their land is used for regenerative land use of some sort, or farmers looking for ways of delivering on all 4 Returns. This event was followed by a walk the land meeting, and led into the Netherlands trip in April 2024.

Read the report here.

We kicked off the year with a gathering at SETU to discuss the strategy and governance aspects of BWL in Ireland. A decision to start the process to establish our own legal entity was approved and the nature of circles for delegated thematic topics was outlined.

Read the report here

This training offer was for BWL partners wanting to develop a 4R concept in the bioregion that leads to long-lasting change. The course was a facilitated four week introductory journey led by BWL’s backbone organization Ashoka. The course looked at how to strategize for systems change and how to collaborate with other leaders to create deep, equitable, and lasting impact.

The course outline is available here.

BWL was delighted to partner with Landscape Alliance Ireland on the National Landscape Forum 2023 with the topic ‘From Landscape Past to Landscape Future’. Inspiring and knowledgeable interdisciplinary voices from across Ireland gathered at Mount Congreve in Waterford to made an impassioned call for an effective, coordinated and integrated action plan for Ireland’s future landscape – as committed to in the European Landscape Convention.

See the programme here.

BWL has recently started working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and EIT Climate KIC on a ‘deep demonstration’ project addressing the future of sustainable dairy in Ireland – specifically on the potential of using a holistic landscape approach. This work is part of a wider initiative to build the new normal for the sustainable agri-food sector in Ireland. We held an online information session for anyone interested in knowing more and you can read more about the Deep Demo in general at the external link here.

An inspirational event over two days addressed emerging new models and approaches to funding whole communities and landscapes in ways that support and drive long-term positive change towards a thriving and regenerative future. International guests and local stakeholders gathered for discussions and field-trips that showcased the huge potential for holistic investment. The invitation and programme can be read here and a full report will be published shortly.

We visited Robin’s Glen farm near Glenmore in south-east Kilkenny, for a ‘weaving walk and catch-up’. We learnt how Eleanor and Richard Murphy have been working with organic feed production over the years, shared ideas to bring in more regenerative and organic farming practices across the bioregion, and generally caught up over a cup of tea in the shed. A lovely and inspiring evening all in all.

e met in person and online to catch-up on what has been happening in the world of BWL and beyond. In addition to giving an overview of recent workshops and events, we discussed the ten emerging investment concepts and focused on one addressing the need for a more community-led approach to land-use management.

A series of events at each end of the bioregion to develop ideas that form part of an emerging portfolio of concepts that together could make major impact regarding our regenerative futures in line with the manifesto (see above) and overall mission. To delve deeper in to ten concepts, we held a residential event at the beautiful Dromana House on the banks of the Blackwater River in West Waterford, a workshop in the Coastguard Cultural Centre at Tramore. In addition two open events were arranged to include any new or existing stakeholders interested in the BWL.

Read the report form these four events here.

An online and in-person opportunity to start the new year with an informal catch-up and sharing session. We reflected on the interesting and inspiring outcomes of the Dunhill workshop at the end of 2022, discussed how micro-grants might be wisely used and talked broad and wide about how to achieve the systemic changes we need to read our mission and deliver on our manifesto.

Read the full report here.

This event gathered 10 inspirational speakers to talk about what they are doing that relates to a nature-based Waterford bioregion with thriving communities. We also looked at what concrete steps can lead to aspirational futures that include such innovative ways of working.

Read the full report here.

An informal coffee morning turned into a rich discussion full of knowledge and opinions for the BWL mission and manifesto. The workshop on the next day looked at what might be done to lift the pockets of inspiration we see today into the future we aspire to. Updates on other BWL activities were part of both days. You can read the full report here and access the accompanying document (system innovations and other BWLs) from the European BWL Learning Summit here.

We held an online meeting to share the process and outcomes of the manifesto workshop. We read the manifesto out loud. We touched on how it can be used. And we introduced the Landscape Plan as a container for capturing more content, pathways and implementation plans for the bioregion.

See the slides and report from the meeting here.

Listen to the manifesto here and watch the recording here.

As part of the Waterford Harvest Festival led by GIY, we gathered at GROW HQ to co-write a Waterford Manifesto for a Regenerative Bioregion. The report on our process and the manifesto can be read here.

We held an open online meeting to summarise insights and discuss possible next steps. We agreed that writing a manifesto was a good idea to give a collective voice as to what we are working for. You can read the report from the online meeting here.

We held a multi-stakeholder workshop to explore the challenges, what has been done and what system change will be needed to reach future regenerative ecosystems and thriving communities. See what we did and what findings emerged in the BWL Workshop Report.