Food, energy and employment – bioeconomy promises triple impact for Donegal's future
Donegal County Council (DCC) is working to become a leader in promoting and supporting the development of the emerging bioeconomy sector as part of its ambitious Climate Action Plan.
A vibrant circular bioeconomy in Donegal will increase food security, support the council’s emission reduction targets and help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by cutting demand for fossil-fuel derived products.
The bioeconomy uses renewable resources from agriculture, forestry and the marine to produce food, feed, materials and energy – all while reducing waste in support of achieving a sustainable and climate neutral society.
Lorraine Arbuckle, climate action coordinator at DCC, said the bioeconomy is emerging in Donegal as a strong solution to many climate issues.
“Bioeconomy is seen as a way for farmers to make value out of all their farm waste, or for the fishing industry to valorise all fish product and put it back into the system, thereby reducing waste,” Ms Arbuckle said.
“The same principle applies to other sectors producing biomass, such as forestry, industry and urban waste.
“If farmers have a viable alternative to burning hedges, instead using the cuttings to make biochar that can be spread on fields to enhance soil, that is saving money, but also benefitting the environment.
“And biomass can be used to generate bioenergy through anaerobic digestion, so that materials otherwise thought of as waste can produce renewable energy.
“It also helps with emissions, and it gives farmers and industries such as fishing an option for alternative or additional income streams.”
Bioeconomy development can create jobs and business opportunities by producing innovative products, services and technologies, and can improve food and energy security.
With growing risks from flooding, drought and soil erosion, food security is a real concern in Donegal. To address these concerns, the council is supporting composting, community gardens and farm-to-fork initiatives.
“It is acknowledged that we need to shorten our supply chains so we are not as reliant on imports, but we also need to foster innovation in new value chains to diversify the sector,” said Ms Arbuckle.
This is a key focus of Cill Ulta’s EU Pathways2Resilience project in Donegal’s Fálcarrach/Gort an Choirce decarbonising zone: the NW Bioeconomy Hub.
DCC is a consortium partner on the project, which explores the benefits of biochar in horticulture and farming as part of a wider regenerative and circular bioeconomy.
We are very fortunate to have such a proactive and driven community sector in Donegal who care so much about their environment
“Food security due to degrading soil and agricultural decline in the local area is a key concern of the Pathways2Resilience project,” said Ms Arbuckle.
“East Donegal is a big arable farming community and there is concern that the normal livelihoods of farmers will be affected because they won’t be able to practice their farming as they have in the past.
“There is a big appetite for community food growing and community gardens, farm-to-fork, the Grow It Yourself initiative and biodiversity restoration, and it did come through in our public consultations in the past.
“We are very fortunate to have such a proactive and driven community sector in Donegal who care so much about their environment now and into the future.
How your county is weighing in on fighting climate change
“Carndonagh and Fálcarrach/Gort an Choirce decarbonising zones are shining examples of this.”
The key climate change mitigation actions for all local authorities are 51pc reduction in GHG emissions and 50pc increase in energy efficiency by 2030.
Donegal’s Climate Action Plan divides its 139 actions into mitigation (38pc), adaptation (15pc), and combined efforts (47pc).
In total, 118 actions are in place. A further 21 are not yet in action.
Risks are compounded by the county’s vulnerabilities, which include an ageing population [and] development on floodplains
Climate hazards in the county include increased flooding of rivers and coastal areas, and as a result of intense rainfall; heatwaves; droughts; and intense windstorms.
These risks are compounded by the county’s vulnerabilities, which include an ageing population, a fragile electricity network, development on floodplains, population increase and economically deprived areas.
In 2025, under the Government’s Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme, 166 social housing units will be retrofitted, upgrading insulation, installing solar panels and replacing fossil-fuel heating with heat pumps.
Since the programme’s launch in 2021, €15.5m has been spent in Donegal on upgrades to 664 homes across 15 estates. Work was carried out on 235 homes last year alone.
DCC also manages a public lighting network of over 19,700 lights, using about four million units of electricity annually. By the end of last year, 84pc of the network had been upgraded to energy-efficient LEDs, reducing energy use by 350,000 units.
In 2025, the council will introduce warmer 2,200k LEDs to further reduce biodiversity impacts while maintaining energy savings.
To combat various types of flooding, there has been a move towards nature-based solutions in urban areas.
“Flooding is the key risk that Donegal faces going forward,” said Ms Arbuckle.
“At the moment, there are 10 flood-relief schemes being developed by the Office of Public Works [OPW] aimed at combatting at-risk areas.
“Another issue is overland flooding, drainage and blockages in urban areas, which is happening in many towns and villages in the county, with August 2017 being a key example.
“There is a move towards rain gardens – draining the grey – which means urban areas would have areas replanted in grass or natural species so they absorb rainwater and hold it for a while before it is released to drains, so the drains are not overwhelmed.
“Those issues are going to continue, while coastal erosion and coastal flooding is also a specific risk to the county.”
Over the years, properties and infrastructure were constructed on flood plains, which are unfortunately now at risk. This has led to higher scrutiny for new planning applications to ensure there is no further development on flood plains.
“In general, there should be no development in flood plains, but there are some exceptions in government guidelines,” Ms Arbuckle said.
“That was a mistake of the past that has been rectified and should not occur now the way it would have occurred in the past.”