Festival in Tipperary to share knowledge on sustainable farming
Exchange Gerrard Is The Co Field Month This Presenting Tipperary Shores Lough The Ailbhe Derg Later In Festival Of On
A new festival, bringing farmers, artists, food producers and more together, will take place later this month.
The Field Exchange Festival will be held on the Brookfield shores of Lough Derg in Co Tipperary on Saturday, August 31, and Sunday, September 1, from 12pm to 5pm each day.
The festival will bring people together to learn and share knowledge on organic and sustainable agriculture practices.
The festival is taking place at Brookfield Farm, Coolbawn, Nenagh.
Brookfield Farm is an award-winning organic farm and a conservation area for the native Irish honey bee, and the festival is the brainchild of the farmer, beekeeper and teacher who runs the farm – Ailbhe Gerrard.
Ms Gerrard presented a pilot version of the Field Exchange Festival in 2022, with more than 500 participants.
On the back of the success of the 2022 festival, Ms Gerrard secured funding for a two-year project – also called Field Exchange – on creative agriculture and climate.
The wider project is structured around the two annual festivals and includes a series of one-day workshops, discussions and hands-on activities building a community of farmers to integrate the vision and creativity of artists into sustainable farming practices and habitat enhancement.
The festival later this month will include agroforestry demonstrations, craft workshops, panel discussions, farm walks, guest speakers, visual arts, music performances, crafts, local food, and site-specific artworks.
“Field Exchange is bringing creativity back into agriculture. We engage vision, knowledge and practical action in our communities to come together to solve our urgent challenges in agriculture, biodiversity and climate. It’s a rethinking of the agriculture system," Ms Gerrard said.
“The festivals in 2024 and 2025 are designed to provide a transformative learning experience for farmers, food producers, artists, specialists, and the wider community.
“These gatherings go beyond traditional agricultural events, offering a space where creativity sparks innovative solutions, meaningful connections are nurtured, and a shared vision for a sustainable future takes root. It’s about looking to the future.”
Field Exchange is a recipient of the Creative Climate Action Fund, an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme.
It is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in collaboration with the Department of the Taoiseach.
