PJ aims to foster sustainable way of life in West Offaly

As an organic farmer in West Offaly, PJ Dooley has always been aware of biodiversity and climate change. Now, he aims to take the knowledge he has gained from a lifetime on the land one step further by setting up a local eco-community in his native Ferbane.

PJ, whose organic farm is located in the townland of Coole, has set up Coole Eco-Community and, while he admits the project is still very much “at the planning stage” he is hopeful that the new eco-community will be up and running this time next year.

He says the Covid crisis has shown everyone that “cities are not the answer” and more and more people are turning towards the land, and a more sustainable way of living.

“Our focus is very much on the fertility of the land and soil health,” he says “if you have healthy soil you can grow healthy food, and that in turn, leads to healthy people, one follows on from the other.”

PJ has enlisted a small team of people who are willing to help out on his eco-project, and he says they are now in the process of “developing an education programme” around the whole area of eco-communities.

“We would be hoping to deliver this programme to the local community and to other interested parties once the Covid restrictions are lifted,” explains PJ Dooley “and we would see education as being a key part of what we are trying to achieve.”

As part of his project, he would like to see communities working the land together using a collaborative approach, and he is hoping to set up a small eco-village and education centre in Coole.

He already has no-dig vegetable gardens, fruit trees, cattle managed with the mob grazing system, native woodland and a huge diversity of wild plants and insects on his organic farm in Coole, and he would like to expand this to a point where the community could work together to create a sustainable eco-village.

Among the ambitious goals set by PJ Dooley for his eco-community project are: to grow food while regenerating natural eco-systems instead of depleting them; reverse rural depopulation and revitalise the local rural community and economy; monitor and record biodiversity; live together with mutual support and care; reduce the carbon footprint and waste, and deepen the connection with nature and with each other.

Anyone interested in becoming involved with the Coole Eco-Community project can find out more information and join the discussion on their Facebook page.