Knowledge Exchange Programme

Farmers in the Isle of Man are be offered expert advice to help stay up-to date with the latest innovations, techniques and technology through a programme launched in November 2021.

The Knowledge Exchange Programme (KEP) is a key part of the Government’s Agricultural Strategy which aims to enable active farmers to deliver a reliable and profitable food chain, while enhancing the Island’s natural environment.

The four-year programme is being delivered by ADAS one the industry’s leading agricultural and environmental consultants they will provide face-to-face support on farming and environmental matters, ranging from animal nutrition to carbon auditing.

The KEP is an integral part of the Agri-Environment Scheme which changed how active farmers were supported last year. Targeted funding has been introduced which encourages actions that boost biodiversity and mitigate climate change.

At the launch of the KEP Clare Barber MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said:

 'This programme is an integral part of our Agri-Environment Scheme, and we hope it will empower active farmers to learn new skills and enable innovation to sustain a vibrant agricultural industry, while enhancing our cherished Biosphere. We also hope this programme can encourage more young people into farming.'

As around 75% of the Island’s 330 farms specialise in cattle and sheep, the two farms chosen to launch the programme were from these sectors.

James Dunn who led the launch from ADAS said:

'We are excited to get started. Initially we will work with two farms to identify areas for improvement – ranging from increasing productivity from forage and profitability, to carbon auditing and emerging technologies. We will empower the farmers by working with them to set sustainable physical performance targets which will help them to improve the viability of their businesses.'

Throughout the programme farmers will be brought back together to share knowledge got the benefit of the industry.

Manx Farming Virtual Library

As part of the Knowledge Exchange (KE) program, ADAS has created a virtual library of resources for Manx Farmers to access. This will bring resources from across the industry together in one place, to help provide insight to the latest innovations, techniques and technology. It will also be updated with resources and information following any events held as part of the KE program.

The library will be updated on a regular basis, and ADAS welcome any suggestions from Manx Farmers of additional resources or ideas for other content to include. ADAS would like this resource to be as useful as possible, so your feedback is important to us. The ADAS team will periodically send out surveys, but if you have anything you’d like to share in the meantime please send it to manxfarming@adas.co.uk

The virtual library is available on a Google Drive site, which can be found at the link below. Any new users who click on the link will need to request access. Once approved you’ll be able to view all content. 

This video explains this in more detail:

You do not need a Gmail account to access the drive but you will need to register for a Google Account if you don’t already have one. The steps to follow to do this.