Women farmers for climate : We are passionate about soil health , animal care , biodiversity – The Irish Times

irishtimes.com · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer in a global initiative that aims to increase awareness of the crucial role women play in agri-food systems, and more specifically in food security, nutrition and poverty eradication. All these issues were explored in the recent event, Rooted in Strength: Women, Climate and Food Justice, celebrating the role of woman farmers in An Talamh Beo (Living Land), the member-led organisation of farmers, growers and land-based workers pushing for change to food and agriculture systems. There was a mix of women farmers from all over Ireland – from small horticulturists to beef, pork and sheep farmers and producers of milk, cheeses and yoghurt. All are committed to producing and selling healthy, nutrient-dense food grown in harmony with the local environment.Denise Moran has a small mixed farm in Co Longford. She argued that while we currently have strong food security in Ireland, we lack food sovereignty. Explaining the difference between the two concepts, Moran said the globalised food system offered us food security across long supply chains based on import and export trade deals, but we lack ecologically sustainable food produced locally, which is the essence of food sovereignty.“We rely on the world to feed us but supply chains can crash and burn and the food security we enjoy is an illusion,” she said. “It’s food sovereignty we must fight for and the Government must put as much money into local food policy as it does into export markets.”Extreme weather events and geopolitical tensions which have jeopardised some food supplies have already shown us the potential fragility of global food systems. “We are knee deep in climate change and we still believe we have time, but consumers need to wake up because we have to be able to feed ourselves. You don’t need vast acreage to feed people,” said Moran. In Ireland up to 90 per cent of food – mainly dairy products and beef – is produced for export, while it is estimated that about 80 per cent of food on the Irish market is imported.[ The family farm where the best chefs in Ireland source their produceOpens in new window ]Small producers, who make up about 500 of the 125,000 farmers in Ireland, say the majority of people buying food no longer know where it comes from. Interestingly, at another event the same week, Safefood Ireland called on health professionals and policymakers to tackle the unhealthy food environment in this country.“We are surrounded by cheap, tempting, heavily marketed unhealthy food that is having a big impact on our health,” said Aileen McGloin at Appetite for Change: Unveiling Public Demand for Healthier Food Environments. The results of public workshops in the Republic and Northern Ireland found strong public support for local grocers, butchers and bakers; stricter rules on the marketing of unhealthy foods; and better government incentives to make healthy food more affordable.Siobhán Hubbard produces pork, chicken and lamb organically on Newbard Farm in Co Waterford with her husband, Ross Newcombe. In the last few years, she has been working hard to reinstate local abattoirs and meat processors for small scale producers.“We need to bring back the local producers because so many people have lost the connection with food,” said Hubbard. To date, 168 farmers are ready to process their own meat in local abattoirs for sale to local customers once regulations allow such facilities to reopen.[ Fava beans: the future of sustainable food production in Ireland?Opens in new window ]Janet Power from Gorse Farm near Bunclody, Co Wexford, said it was economically viable for her to grow high-value crops on a half-acre micro garden for sale to local restaurants and supermarkets. “Being a steward of the land providing good nutritious food all year round motivates me,” said Power, who runs the farm with Jenny Watkins. She believes that people in Ireland want to eat Irish grown produce. “The demand is there but there isn’t enough supply. We’d go hungry without imported vegetables in this country.”Talamh Beo is currently putting together a database of local food producers to bring more attention to the sector. “We have about 330 producers at the moment but I think there are about 500 in total in Ireland,” said Power. She said small producers in Ireland were “locked out” of area-based Common Agriculture Policy payments in Ireland. “Many of us are too small to benefit from subsidies yet our produce has to compete with subsidised produce [from larger farms] and cheap imports.” Sinéad Moran runs Gleann Buí Farm in Co Mayo with her husband, MJ McGrath. Together, they produce and sell 100 per cent pasture-fed organic raw milk, cream, butter and yoghurt to customers at their farm shop and to independent grocers, butchers and other farm shops. “The average dairy farmer has 98 cows. We have 12 and are one of four micro dairies in Ireland. The only way it can work for us is to sell directly to customers,” she explained.Raw milk from Gleann Buí farm in Co Mayo which Sinéad Moran produces with her husband, MJ McGrath Following agroecology principles, the 27-acre farm focuses on protecting the semi-natural grasslands while giving their cows access to a diverse diet of plants. “We are passionate about soil health, holistic animal care, regenerative agriculture, biodiversity and climate action,” said Moran, who has a masters in climate change, agriculture and food security. Evonne Boland was a participant at the event with no direct connection to farming but a strong desire to see more locally grown food available in towns and cities across Ireland. “Food is a key pillar for community resilience yet it is ignored. We hear about sustainable energy communities but nothing about food,” she said.“It’s not about fancy farmers markets and food banks. We need to give people access to healthy locally grown nutritious food through community food hubs and local co-operatives.”Meanwhile, food producers suggest that rather than small producers growing their business, what is needed is more small producers scattered throughout the country. The “go big or go home” mantra is not something these women farmers are interested in. They prefer the strapline “know your farmer, know your food”. “Historically, we have never spent so little of our income on the essential of our life, which is our food. We are in hot pursuit of cheap food that is harnessed by processors and retailers, which is raping the farmer and nature and driving up food waste,” said Denise Moran. She believes people want to be more connected to food but they don’t know how. “Big agriculture with its focus on livestock units [animals] and grazing platforms [fields] has lost the connection to the land,” she said.Gypsy Gifford of Leitrim Hill Creamery which produces goats milk produce Another speaker, Gypsy Gifford, moved to Ireland with her wife, Richelle South, and their daughter, Shiloh, to work with Gypsy’s mother, Lisa Gifford, at Leitrim Hill Creamery, a small goat farm in Co Leitrim which also produces cheese and ice cream. Women farmers are already renowned for introducing diversity to farming around the world. But, Gifford added: “Women rising to leadership roles isn’t the solution. It’s women tackling the complexity of the flaws in the food system that’s important.”