The Farming for Nature Ambassador nominees for 2025 have four Cork names among them, every one of them from West Cork.

Four West Cork farmers are among the 2025 nominees for the Farming for Nature Ambassador Awards, who will be announced later this month on October 25th.

Each year since 2018, 12 new Farming for Nature Ambassadors join the network following a nomination process which includes an on-site visit from members of the initiative.

They join the network for a commitment of five years, and in that time are asked to share their knowledge with others, and host farm walks, represent the movement at big events like the

Ploughing or conferences, and spread the word of this type of regenerative, sensitive farming.

Current West Cork Ambassadors associated with the Farming for Nature movement include Eoghan Daltun on the Beara peninsula, Madeline McKeever and her daughter Holly Cairns (TD and leader of the Social Democrats), as well as Paul McCormick and Jacinta French in Skibbereen.

Rossa Gibbons

With a 13-acre farm focused on agroforestry and sheep in Munig, Skibbereen, Rossa first planted a mixed forest of oak, larch, beech, and alder 22 years ago, followed more recently by a planting of ten species including sweet chestnut, birch, cherry and lime.

A tree surgeon by trade, Rossa credits his profession with his education.

‘When you work with saws, you see the value of timber; if there were more farmers trained with saws, counterintuitively, there’d be more trees’ says Rossa.

His system of agroforestry means the trees are planted in rows eight metres apart to allow for tractor access, but is still close enough to maintain the developing beneficial fungal networks underground.

The Shropshire sheep he rears are known for not ring barking trees, and he slaughters the lambs which are sold directly to local customers.

Rossa was nominated as an ambassador by Maureen Kilgore, manager of the Irish Agroforestry Forum, for his ‘thriving, biodiverse landscape’ and ‘hands-on approach, ecological vision, and commitment to sharing his knowledge’.

Sandra Schmid and Tim Rowe

Among the recent nominees, announced at the end of September, are Sandra Schmid and Tim Rowe, who run a small farm and business in Ballylickey.

Tim most recently featured in The Southern Star as he completed work on a narrow gauge railway track on their 12-acre farm for the very practical movement of manure from his wife’s ventures (therapeutic riding, and animal-assisted therapy) to the benefit his no-dig crop of elephant garlic.

They’ve planted thousands of trees, have a six-acre woodland with willow and poplar, and even the purposeful gaps in their dry stone wall are ‘full of life’.

The duo were nominated by Madeline McKeever, who pointed to the horses, sheep, donkeys, goats, hens, and guinea pigs, animals who not only produce fertiliser but are ‘essential partners’ in Sandra’s work with children and adults.

Speaking with The Southern Star, Sandra said that they were ‘delighted’ that their contribution to nature ‘on our small patch of land is recognised’.

Award or not, Sandra says that she hopes their ventures inspires other people: ‘We’re not a big enterprise, and we weren’t born in to it, so it’s even better to be recognised! We wanted to give significant space to nature, it’s part of our strong outlook on life’.

‘We have to give space to everyone, and put effort into helping the nature around us to flourish. We’re not just doing this for an award, we’re doing it because we love to do it. My passion is in sharing this knowledge with the young people and the kids, to learn how to identify trees for example. We are less likely to love and protect what we don’t know’.

Lisa Scariff

Over the last 32 years at Glanlough, Dorset native Lisa Scarriff has been cultivating and stewarding these ten acres of ‘overgrown patch of land back towards life’.

Overlooking Bantry Bay, when Lisa first arrived she was faced with land overrun with ragwort, brambles, and eight-foot-high gorse.

In the past, she tried her hand at raising Kerry and Highland cows, but mostly focused on supplying vegetables to the market while running her health food shop until 2023.

She too was nominated by Madeline McKeever, who credited Lisa for her tenacity.

‘The land is very exposed and the terrain is challenging with its shallow, impoverished soils. But it didn’t stop her establishing pockets of woodland nurturing each tree with mulch and manure until established. Fortunately the small meadows on the land have never had any artificial fertiliser added or been reseeded, although they had been overgrazed and badly poached’.

Her management plan for the meadows is to graze them from the end of September to the following March, with two Shetland ponies.

From April they go onto the hill, and the meadows are left to flower.

Lisa also has a strong commitment to nature, and from the first week in April for 26 consecutive weeks she walks a specified route around the land and records the butterflies she sees on that day, and has recently started recording moths too, data on which is invaluable to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

Oaks she planted are now 20 feet high, and her efforts have garnered fruit with the jays,  butterflies, and choughs, who are ‘paying their way’ by planting acorns throughout the property.

The Ambassador Awards aim to ‘amplify the voices’ of the famers who  prioritise biodiversity and sustainable practices, say Farming for Nature.

Each of the nominees take part in an interview and a farm visit by members of the Farming for Nature team and Executive Committee.

The newly-awarded ambassadors will be known on October 25th.

Rachel McCarthy

Rachel McCarthy and her siblings are known for the very successful ‘Ballinadee Bus’ venture.

They inherited the family farm five years ago, after their father passed away. With about 150 acres, 22 are actively managed by Rachel where her philosophy is ‘to give back to nature’.

The farm is a chemical-free zone, with no use of sprays or synthetic fertilisers.

All manure and bedding from the rescue animals, including goats, pigs, and alpacas, are recycled back into the land for soil health, and she is currently managing a syntropic agroforestry system that integrates native trees, fruiting trees, vegetables, and multi-species planting for ecosystem restoration and food production.

Over 600 native trees and 1,000 whitethorn hedges have been planted.

There are future plans to develop a few acres into an expanded agroforestry system, and to create nature trails and a walkway connecting the farm to the nearby village.

Rachel was nominated by Dónal Chambers, the vice-principal of Kinsale College, and the co-ordinator of the facility’s Permaculture and Sustainable Horticulture course.

Mr Chambers commended the family’s commitment in the face of tragic circumstances and how they rapidly put the farm and the Ballinadee Bus on the map, as well as how they’ve linked in with the local college, as they ran a joint syntropic agriculture course on the farm this year.