A farmer-centred approach to understanding Ireland’s bioeconomy in the context of Just Transition

Achieving a Just Transition requires proactive policy and innovation support measures to navigate changes towards low-carbon and sustainable industries. The policy challenge is bifold: offsetting the negative impacts of pro-environmental transitions for the communities directly disenfranchised and supporting the innovation stimulated in affected communities in response to the challenges of transition. Few studies have considered the possibility of the bioeconomy supporting a Just Transition for economically vulnerable agricultural sectors alongside the views, knowledges, and positioning of primary producers who will act as the first link in the novel bioeconomy value chain. To address these research gaps, the primary research question of this thesis is: what measures can facilitate the entry and involvement of beef farmers into the Irish bioeconomy to secure a Just Transition? The first findings chapter of this thesis utilises Social Network Analysis to identify the core and peripheral actors within the Irish bioeconomy. This chapter also evaluates the positioning of farmers in the bioeconomy and the organisations that could act as brokers for enhancing farmers’ involvement in the bioeconomy. The second findings chapter assesses the role and influence of dairy farmers in the EIP-AGRI-funded Biorefinery Glas Operational Group. Using semi-structured interviews, the theoretical framework of Michel Foucault is applied to identify the extent to which farmers’ knowledges were influential within a grass-based bioeconomy initiative. The third findings chapter uses a biographic narrative interview method to uncover beef farmers' lived experiences and explore their perspectives on bioeconomy. The final findings chapter identifies actions that can facilitate beef farmers’ entry and involvement into the bioeconomy based on the perspectives of beef farmers, agricultural advisors and policymakers. The provision of financial and informational support and the development of stable markets and co-operative structures were identified as critical for securing a Just Transition to the bioeconomy for beef farmers.