Lyons farm supports opportunities for innovation.
UCD is unique amongst third level universities in Ireland by having its own teaching and research farm to provide students and academics with access to large animal and crop enterprises for the delivery of teaching and research programmes. These programmes are of national importance and underpin technical innovation and science-driven education and discovery for the agri-food industry, which helps maintain international competitiveness and addresses challenges and opportunities for innovation as they emerge.
Currently these include:
- Increasing globalisation and competition,
- The removal of production linked subsidies within the EU,
- The demand for production of healthy food at affordable prices,
- Food produced with due regard to animal health and welfare,
- The need for proper sustainable management of land and animals to protect natural resources (air, water and plant and animal biodiversity),
- The importance of maintaining viability of rural communities and recreational activities,
- The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (currently comprising 28% of national emissions),
- The need to reduce the fossil fuel inputs into agricultural production.
Given the need for food production to be carried out on an internationally competitive and sustainable basis, taking into account food quality and safety to meet the increasingly discriminatory demands and international array of foods available to the consumer. UCD is uniquely positioned to conduct research on the complete spectrum of healthy food production for the consumer from the the very basics of the impact it has on soil and environment through to through to how its consumption impacts human health on an individual and societal basis.