Department Announces Application Details for Social Farming and Agri-Food Tourism Initiatives under the Rural Innovation and Development Fund

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine announces a competitive public procurement procedure under the 2017 Rural Innovation and Development Fund for social farming and agri-food tourism initiatives.

Total funding available is as follows:

• €370,000 for at least 3 social farming model projects which can demonstrate a national benefit, and
• €450,000 for at least 9 projects supporting agri-food tourism initiatives (which may also include rural markets).

Notes for Editors:

• With regard to the support for social farming model projects a Request For Tender (RFT) was published on 16 June 2017 on the eTenders website and the Official Journal of the European Union (ID No. 119737). Site registration for eTenders will be necessary at http://www.etenders.gov.ie/ – Supplier Registration – to access the RFT. The RFT relates to the provision of services for the support of social farming model projects, which are to have national benefit. The deadline for submission of tenders is 26 July 2017 at 12:00 noon. Tenders will be assessed through a competitive process for funding of proposed projects.

• With regard to the support for agri-food tourism projects (that may also include rural markets), a Request For Tender (RFT) was published on 16 June 2017 on the eTenders website and the Official Journal of the European Union (ID No. 119730). Site registration for eTenders will be necessary at http://www.etenders.gov.ie/ – Supplier Registration – to access the RFT. The RFT relates to the provision of services for the support of agri-food tourism projects. The deadline for submission of tenders is 26 July 2017 at 12:00 noon. Tenders will be assessed through a competitive process for funding of proposed projects.

• Social farming is the practice of offering, on a voluntary basis, farming and horticultural participation in a farming environment as a choice to people who avail of a range of therapeutic day support services.

• Agri-food tourism broadly is the practice of offering an activity or activities in rural areas to visit areas of well-known agricultural produce and to sample and taste the local or regional produce or cuisine.