Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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349. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 277 of 25 November 2020, if further details on the awarding of two contracts for a social farming network and a programme for nascent rural female entrepreneurial development will be provided in particular the value of these contract works; and the number of female entrepreneurs awarded funding with regard to the latter contract. [10786/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Following a competitive public procurement procedure for a Social Farming Network, a contract has been awarded to Leitrim Integrated Development Company CLG to continue to develop the national Social Farming Network known as “Social Farming Ireland”. Funding of €400,000 was provided in 2020 towards this contract.

Following a competitive public procurement procedure for a Programme for Nascent Rural Female Entrepreneurial Development, Fitzsimons Consulting was awarded funding of €198,450 (excluding VAT) in 2020 to run the ACORNS programme (Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups). Over 200 entrepreneurs in rural Ireland are actively involved in the programme; 55 new participants are currently taking part in the Acorns 6 programme and ongoing support is also being provided to 146 previous participants.