On Sunday 30th August, Claire from the Our Shared Plate project joined Farming for Nature’s Inside the Gate at Brookfield Farm, Co. Tipperary, one of 20 nature-friendly farms across Ireland that opened their gates to the public on Sunday, 30th August.

Inside the Gate offers a unique opportunity to step onto working farms and learn directly from farmers about approaches that support food production, biodiversity and nature.

For Our Shared Plate, the visit was an opportunity to meet, mingle, eat and learn with like-minded people, support local food producers, and explore ideas and practices that connect with our own work around community growing, resilient local food systems and climate action.

Our Key Takeaways

Diversity builds resilience

From spring-sown experimental crops of wheat, peas and beans to multi-species meadows, woodland and orchards, diversity was evident across the farm. It reinforced the value of creating growing systems that serve multiple purposes and support both food production and biodiversity.

Value what is already there

We learned about the management of bracken and its potential use as a mulch or compost material. It was a useful reminder to look at what a growing space already provides and consider how locally available natural materials can be put to good use.

Everything is connected

Conversations ranged from soil fungi and bacteria to woodland, crops, orchards and the impact of invasive species such as quagga mussels. We came away thinking about the many connections within our ecosystems, above and below ground, and how changes to one part can have much wider effects.

People Who Inspired Us

Brookfield Farm

Hearing directly from Ailbhe and her 80 year old dad Peter, who are managing the farm and experimenting with different approaches to food production, biodiversity and land management was particularly valuable. Their willingness to try, observe and learn from the land offered plenty of food for thought for our own work with communities. One particularly interesting example was the experimentation within the orchard, including trees associated with truffle cultivation. It demonstrated the value of trying new approaches and thinking creatively about what a piece of land can produce.

Learning alongside the wider community

Just as inspiring were the people we met throughout the day. As Inside the Gate was open to the general public, it attracted people at very different stages of their own food-growing and nature journeys.

We chatted with people hoping to take ideas back to their homes and potential future farms: a couple who had moved from America to Co. Limerick, a mother and daughter developing a small flower farm, a young family dreaming of creating their own woodland, and a couple who had returned to Ireland with plans for a habitat-friendly garden complete with a pond and bird boxes. Others brought experience from organic farming, cattle farming and rhododendron management.

What connected these very different conversations was a curiosity about working with nature and a willingness to learn from others. It was a lovely reminder that events like this aren’t only about what happens inside the farm gate …  the ideas and inspiration people take home can travel much further. 

Initiatives That Got Us Thinking

Field Exchange

Brookfield Farm has also hosted Field Exchange, a community-focused programme bringing people together around agriculture, food, nature and creativity.

Through practical workshops, foraging walks, agroforestry talks, local food, demonstrations and opportunities to learn directly from farmers and practitioners, the programme demonstrates the value of making knowledge accessible and creating spaces where people can learn, exchange ideas and build connections.

For Our Shared Plate, it reinforced the importance of investing in practical, community-based learning. Initiatives like Field Exchange can have an impact far beyond the event itself, as participants take new skills, ideas and enthusiasm back into their homes, farms and communities.

There is real value in continued and increased support for community education initiatives like these, which create opportunities for people to learn directly from one another while strengthening connections between food, farming, nature and community.

What We’re Bringing Back to Our Shared Plate

The visit reinforced many of the principles we explore through Our Shared Plate: value what is already there, encourage diversity, learn through doing and understand food growing as part of a much wider ecosystem.

It also reminded us of the value of getting out to visit other projects, sharing experiences and making connections with people working across farming, food, biodiversity and community action.

And sometimes the most valuable learning happens while walking through a field, picking an apple or simply having a conversation over a cup of tea.

Find Out More

Event:https://www.farmingfornature.ie/inside-the-gate-returns-on-30th-august/
Farm: https://www.brookfield.farm/
Useful resource: Find out more about Our Shared Plate and explore our free community food-growing resources at oursharedplate.ie.