WHO ARE WE ?
Croghan Organic Garden was established in 1998. Over the past 14 years Croghan Organic Garden has expanded its range of activities to include training in commercial organic horticultural production, environmental education programmes and activities for preschools, national schools, secondary schools and adults including people with disabilities. To many of our service users, the activities in the garden offer an opportunity to integrate with the community while engaging in beneficial and therapeutic exercise. This applies not only to members of the ‘normal’ able-bodied community, but also to service users with intellectual and physical disabilities.
In the light of this experience, we intend in the future to promote the life-style benefits of organic horticulture, particularly as regards physical health, both through the exercise involved in the production of crops, as well as the benefit of eating them.
We are now in our 10th year of delivering the organic horticulture component of a full time VTOS course. This course is certified at FETAC level 5 and equips students with the skills to find employment in horticulture or to embark on further training in higher education. We would like to acknowledge the support and co-operation of Roscommon VEC, particularly Donal Farrell, Boyle VTOS Co-ordinator.
We have also continued to deliver part time FETAC certified courses to local participants with the support of the Further Education Unit under the Back To Education Initiative. This programme is now in its 6th year.
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Our programme of Ecology field trips for Leaving Certificate Biology students is now in its 7th year. This programme, which we developed in consultation with local teachers, takes place at the nearby Cave Town Lake woods, thanks to the kind permission of the National Parks and Wild Life Services and the Cave Town Development Company.
We plan to increase the area under polytunnels this year, both to promote production and training space. We would like to thank our local Teagasc advisor, Enda Hart for his advice and support. Teagasc is currently offering considerable support to actual and potential organic producers, particularly in horticulture. We are also grateful for the advice and information supplied by IOFGA in relation to new developments in the field. Horticulture is the least well-developed area with 85% of all home consumption being imported from abroad. With investment in protected cropping, the west of Ireland is in a position to address this shortfall. In this expanding climate, we would like to acknowledge the ongoing assistance of the National Organic Training Network in sponsoring our manager who has recently completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Organic Farming from the Scottish Agricultural College.
We would like to extend our thanks to Pobal for their continued support of the project, in particular Margaret Leahy, Appraisal Support Officer and Geraldine Mullen, Finance Officer.
Finally we would like to thank the management committee of Croghan Organic Garden for their dedication and support over the years.
