Dublin-based award winning fresh Irish potatoes & crisps producer Keogh’s Farm and Vita, an Irish development partner which works with communities in Africa to fight hunger and climate change, will be partnering to help Ethiopian farmers in potato cultivation and market development.
By Ray Ryan (Irish Examiner) |
The award-winning Keogh’s Farm in north County Dublin (northeastern Ireland) has committed to a three-year partnership with Vita, which will see it become the first Irish food business to go carbon neutral.
Developing a sustainable potato cultivation program for Ethiopian farmers is the aim of the partnership.
Vita is the only Irish not-for-profit overseas development agency to deliver a platform for Irish companies to offset their carbon footprint via their high impact climate-mitigating programs in Africa.
The Keogh family, one of Ireland’s leading crisp makers, has been producing potatoes for over two centuries.
Their farm was awarded carbon neutral status in May, which means their emissions are tracked from the field to the crisping house. It is also a member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green sustainability program.
Vita has been working for many years supporting Ethiopian families and communities in building sustainable livelihoods.
It partners with Teagasc and members of the Irish Potato Federation, who have shared their wealth of expertise in science, farming, and business practice.
Keogh Crisps founder and managing director Tom Keogh said he traveled to Chencha in southern Ethiopia last year to see the impact of Vita on the ground, as well as to help address any issues relating to potato cultivation and market development for the region.
I quickly realized that there was a great opportunity here for the Keogh Farm and business to make a real difference on many levels. We then partnered with Vita to write a three-year development plan that underpins our commitment to the region.
“Originally our work with Vita was to be purely about knowledge transfer, helping to empower communities to produce better crops, avoid hunger, and become self-sustainable.
“However, Vita’s carbon reduction program has enabled our family business to offset our carbon emissions while bettering the lives of many Ethiopian families at the same time.
“For us at Keogh’s this is an ongoing partnership where generations to come will benefit from a cleaner environment both at home and abroad,” he said.
Read the complete story at Irish Examiner