“Farm to Fork – Equity, Finance and Sustainability in Global Food Supply” is an Online and In-Person panel discussion taking place on Thursday, 12 September 2024, featuring Hilary Barry and Dr Olive McCarthy in conversation with Dr Mary O’Shaughnessy.
Date: Thursday, 12 September 2024
Time: 6pm to 7pm (Panel Discussion)
Reception: 7pm to 8pm (Refreshments)
Venue: Online and In-Person (Dr. Dora Allman Room, UCC Student Hub)
The “Farm to Fork – Equity, Finance and Sustainability in Global Food Supply” discussion will bring together UCC alum, Hilary Barry (Founder and Secretary General of LadyAgri) and Dr Olive McCarthy (UCC’s Department of Food Business and Development) for a discussion chaired by Dr Mary O’Shaughnessy (Cork University Business School). Considering the global challenge of climate change, this discussion will investigate the ways in which agriculture and food systems can become more sustainable.
What role does the co-operative movement play? How can access to finance be assured, and what are the impacts of meso and micro financing initiatives? Given the key role of women in agri-entrepreneurship, how can we ensure gender equality in rural and agricultural innovations systems? How do trade and policy in Ireland, Europe and Africa influence global food supply? Acknowledging the existence of the grass ceiling, how can we support women innovators in farming and rural communities?
This event is free and will take place in-person and online. Advance registration is essential. All welcome!
Speakers
Hilary Barry
Hilary Barry is Founder and Secretary General of the LadyAgri Impact Investment Hub. Since her first experience in Ghana in 1993, she has dedicated her career to the design and implementation of social impact programmes across Africa, Caribbean and Pacific states. LadyAgri takes a holistic approach to supporting women throughout agri-value chains from ‘Farm to Fork’, supporting women in co-operatives and SME’s to build climate-smart businesses that drive a sustainable food system.
A graduate of UCC, Hilary is a convinced venture philanthropist. She is an advisor to the 2XGlobal Forum, which brings together the international, financial and banking community committed to accelerating women’s access to gender and climate-smart finance. She is a member of the Council for Elevating the Voices of Women in Agriculture at the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens. She is also an advisor to the Italian Council for Agricultural Research and Economics and the Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy. Hilary leads the LadyAgri non-profit association with a multidisciplinary team of specialists of 17 different nationalities who are investing in women and are active across 30 African and Small Island Developing States.
Dr Olive McCarthy
Dr Olive McCarthy is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Food Business and Development and a Senior Researcher with the Centre for Co-operative Studies at UCC. She is Programme Co-Director of the MSc in Sustainable Development, Agri-Food and Co-operatives, and winner of the 2024 Best Masters Award from the Education Awards in Ireland. Although she teaches and conducts research on co-operative businesses of all types, she is probably best known for her research work with credit unions and her interests in financial inclusion more generally.
She has published widely and the outputs of this research have had a direct and demonstrable impact on changing legislation, influencing government policy and supporting the governance and practice of co-operatives of all types. She is a regular contributor to national and international media interviews, blogs and podcasts and recently won UCC Research Communicator of the Year for 2023.
Dr Mary O’Shaughnessy
Dr Mary O’Shaughnessy is a Senior Lecturer at Cork University Business School. Her research interests include sustainable rural development, social enterprise and rural social innovation. A founding member of the EMES (International Research Network on social enterprise and social innovation), she was academic advisor to Ireland’s First National Social Enterprise Policy (2019). Her research informs national and international policy on social enterprise and sustainable rural development.
Mary was awarded the UCC Research Supervisor of the Year Award in 2019, the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2021 and a UCC Cross Campus Staff Recognition Award in 2023. She is a former Director of Micro Finance Ireland and two term Director of the HOPE Foundation International Charity.
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