'The Living Farmland'

'The Living Farmland - a guide to farming with nature in Clare' has prompted many positive reviews since its recent publication and launch by IFA President, Padraig Walshe. Intended as a reference manual for farmers and landowners in Co. Clare, it provides practical advice on land management for nature conservation, focussing on farmland habitats and common agri-environmental issues. Keville & O'Sullivan Associates were commisioned by Rural Resource Development in association with project partners Clare IFA, Teagasc and Clare County Council to undertake the research, compilation and drafting of this comprehensive multi-disciplinary publication, covering many diverse yet linked themes such as environmental legislation, land management from archaeological times to the present, farmland habitats and best pratice for nature conservation, agri-environmental schemes and case studies of local landowners, who are actively implementing eco-friendly farming practices on their land. Recent positive reviews by Michael Viney in his column in the Irish Times and on the Burren Beo website (http://www.burrenbeo.com/), amongst others, indicate that the publication has been well received. It is now hoped that the wealth of knowledge contained in the book will provide renewed inspiration for local landowners on the ground.