More than 500 delegates attended the Women and Agriculture in Sligo last week. Among those attending was Denise Callan of Momentum Educate and Innovate, who introduced the SMART4Food project to conference attendees.
The annual conference is organised by the Irish Farmers Journal (IFJ) and sponsored by FBD Insurance. The varied programme opened with welcome remarks and an introduction from Irish Country Living Magazine Editor, Ciara Leahy and Conference chair Katherine O’Leary. Speakers on the day included Meteorologists Evelyn Cusack and Seamus Walsh, retired UN diplomat and climate change educator Jacinta Barrins and keynote speaker Mary Martin, wife of An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin.
Over the course of the day, there were interesting panel discussions on Succession planning, and on Health, particularly mental health. There was also a live recording of the IFJ Tech Talk podcast hosted by Caitriona Morrissey, Deputy Editor of the IFJ. A popular highlight was a cookery demonstration by TV chef Neven Maguire, which he followed by playing some of his favourite tunes on his decks, revisiting a younger goal of being a DJ, and getting all the delegates on their feet for a dance!
It was a wonderful opportunity for Denise to meet with Agricultural Journalists, representatives of Farming organisations and women from family farms and small-holdings across Ireland, and introduce them to the SMART4Food project. Feedback was very positive, with lots of requests for further information and updates on the project.
