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ReFarm’s 2025 Impact Report highlights an innovative Irish initiative that supports farmers in delivering measurable environmental improvements through practical, farmer-led actions.
The programme combines private, public and philanthropic funding to invest directly in biodiversity, climate resilience and habitat restoration on farms across Ireland.
Working in partnership with organisations such as Trinity College Dublin, Burrenbeo Trust and the Farming for Nature network, ReFarm aims to create a scalable model that rewards farmers for environmental outcomes while maintaining productive agricultural land. The initiative is built around simple, flexible and results-based actions including pond creation, species-rich grasslands, hedgerow planting, woodland copses and bespoke “Farmer’s Choice” biodiversity projects.
During 2025, ReFarm supported 80 farmers across 21 counties through four pilot programmes, deploying approximately €205,000 in funding, with 80% of funding directed straight to on-farm actions. Key achievements included the creation and enhancement of almost 49 hectares of species-rich grasslands, over 13,700m² of ponds, 15,480m² of woodland copses and 1.9km of hedgerows.
The report also highlights participation by a number of progressive construction and infrastructure stakeholders who support farmer-led biodiversity action and blended finance approaches. This demonstrates growing recognition across the built environment sector of the importance of investing in nature restoration, climate resilience and landscape enhancement as part of broader ESG and sustainability objectives.
A key feature of ReFarm is its low administrative burden and strong emphasis on farmer autonomy. Participating farmers highlighted the flexibility of the programme, straightforward application process and the opportunity to tailor biodiversity actions to local landscapes and farming systems. Survey feedback showed a very high farmer satisfaction rate, with “minimal paperwork” identified as the programme’s most valued feature.
Beyond biodiversity gains, the report highlights wider environmental and socio-economic benefits including improved water management, climate resilience, flood mitigation, pollination support and strengthened rural communities. ReFarm also aligns strongly with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Climate Action, Life on Land and Clean Water.
Looking ahead, ReFarm plans to double investment in nature to €400,000 in 2026, while continuing to develop scalable, research-backed approaches to nature restoration and sustainable land stewardship in Ireland.