The Farmeye team carrying out work for the Purlieu project. Image: Farmeye
The Purlieu project aims to give farmers and land managers a reliable and cost-effective way to assess hedgerows, which have an important role in Irish biodiversity.
Roscommon-based agtech start-up Farmeye has shared details of its hedgerow conservation and management project, supported by funds from the European Space Agency (ESA).
This 22-month-long project called ‘Purlieu’ aims to capture precise insights into hedgerow measurement and composition in Ireland. It will combine ground-based data capture with satellite imagery and advanced modelling techniques.
Farmeye said hedgerows play a crucial role in supporting biodiversity, mitigating soil erosion and sheltering birds and other animals. They are a well-known sight in this country and Teagasc says they give Irish landscapes their “distinctive character and field pattern”.
A survey conducted by Teagasc in 2019 estimated that hedgerows cover about 4pc of the national land area in the Republic of Ireland.
The Purlieu project aims to give farmers and land managers a reliable and cost-effective way to assess hedgerow health and the carbon they can take up. Farmeye claims these hedgerows are important for sustainable agriculture practices.
“Farmeye gives farmers actionable insights to promote environmental stewardship and agricultural sustainability,” said Farmeye CEO and co-founder Dr Eoghan Finneran. “Purlieu demonstrates our commitment to innovating cutting-edge technology for the greater good, giving valuable metrics to stakeholders while preserving our natural heritage.”
The Purlieu project began on 17 January 2024 and the company is collaborating with the ESA on this ongoing project. Farmeye secured a contract with the ESA in 2021 to measure hedgerow carbon and habitat value using space technology.
“The continued commitment from ESA to Purlieu adds to the growing recognition of Farmeye as a European leader in natural capital measurement technologies,” said Farmeye R&D project manager Jessica Hicks.
Farmeye’s 2021 deal was with the ESA’s Space Solutions branch, which focuses on working with companies to create commercially sustainable services by using space data and technology. It also works on transferring space technology into non-space markets or bringing potentially useful innovations from other sectors into orbit.
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