Company Profile

FORUM is a rural development partnership of voluntary, community and statutory bodies based in Connemara, with the objective of putting in place strategies and programmes to tackle the problem of rural decline and peripherality. FORUM Connemara was established to tackle disadvantage through increasing the capacity of groups and individuals within the project area. This work has continued over the last thirty years, implementing all its programmes using the principles of community development.

The Programme:

FORUM Connemara CLG was selected by the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, toimplement a new €1.42million European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-Agri). The scheme is funded by the Department of Agriculture through the Rural development programme. The project is titled The North Connemara Locally Led Agri Environmental scheme. The project aims to support farmers in farming two Special areas of Conservation, the Maum Turks and Twelve Bens mountain ranges, through the implementation of various actions and measures. The project team will engage with the farmers in the catchment area. The team will provide agricultural and ecological advice to improve the economic and ecological viability of farming in the catchment through an innovative results-based payments scheme. Working closely with farmers in the catchment, the results-based scheme will reward sustainable agricultural practices which enhance the important habitats in the area.