Introduction
I’ve been lucky over the last number of years to have some great conversations. These have often inspired me around areas of animal health and beyond. So, I said, why not start having more of them and sharing some of these inspiring stories of people in agriculture.
I also want to challenge my thinking and who knows, even occasionally, the status quo.
So I’m giving #Aginspire conversations a go for a few months.
The aim is simple “To have conversations with interesting people doing inspiring things in agriculture.”
This week I catch up with Dr. James Moran about the environment, farming, and the future. With so much polarisation around this debate, it was nice to have a conversation around conversation and biodiversity.
James is a lecturer in Ecology and biology at Galway Mayo Institute of technology. My first interaction with James was when he questioned (In a very fair way) advocating peat as bedding for cows in wintertime. It stuck in my mind as he didn’t approach this in a negative way, but helping me understand the wider impacts of having a narrow focus.
For me, he has a balanced and fair perspective while discussing difficult questions.
My struggle in the current debate is with a huge need to adopt more environmental practices and policies, is we must ask the question who will pay for this? With farmers, processors, governments, and consumers all having to play their parts in a more sustainable farming system over the next decade.
Most importantly we need to bridge the gap and have those with opposing views working together. Less polarisation and more proactive approaches.
When it comes to climate change we are all in this together. Blaming and shaming have no place when we want to implement effective changes that help ourselves and wider society.
It’s time now in my opinion for a more reasonable conversation between environmentalists and farmers.
We discuss
His early career
Why farming must adapt
Understanding biodiversity
How our policies might shape our food future
Watch here:
To follow James on Twitter @MORANEnv