From farmersjournal.ie
Marcus O'Halloran outlines the recent growth of Agri Aware ahead of the upcoming 30th anniversary AGM
“I came in to this role in February 2020 and a month later, COVID-19 came. We had 30,000 participants in our programmes at that time,” says Marcus O’Halloran, Agri Aware executive director.
The atmosphere at the time was challenging for those advocating for the typical Irish family farm.
“There was a lot of public debate about veganism, anti-animal farming brigades were prominent. People were trying out different bits and pieces around their diet,” he says.
“That all seems to have plateaued, but there definitely is an eagerness for more information about where food comes from.”
And that is where Agri Aware comes in, with educational programmes in schools, open farm days and a high-profile presence at events like Bloom.
“I believe Agri Aware has responded to that challenge. Our numbers are hitting nearly 150,000 participants at the moment, a five-fold increase in six years,” he says.
Young people
Incredible Edibles is the biggest programme with almost 100,000 primary school children involved in that.
“But the focus is right across the entire educational cycle of primary and secondary, engaging with children from the age of five right up until they are 18. We have a chance to make an impact with children when they’re in that age of influence.”
“Most young people are very conscious of what they are eating, both in terms of the source of the food, and the animal welfare standards, and in terms of maintaining a healthy and balanced diet,” he adds.
“We’re reaching into urban areas; the highest uptake of our programmes is in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick cities. They’re the areas where people might perceive the greatest challenge for knowledge or understanding of fruit, vegetables and dairy products, so that’s a huge strength of our programme.”
Agri Aware is now celebrating 30 years in existence. With Limerick farmer Shay Galvin the widely respected chair, O’Halloran has been building a team of young and enthusiastic staff to respond to the hunger for food information.
There are now 12 full-time staff, compared to the four-strong team O’Halloran inherited when he came into the role.
“Some of them have been with us for four years, which is good going in this day and age, we’re a tight team,” he says.
It’s also a young team. “We range in age from 22 to 33, all people who are passionate about their work, eager to drive on. Recruits came from teaching, from event management, straight from college.”
O’Halloran believes the work is rewarding. “We can all see the impact we are making when they are at events or out in schools.”
Agri Aware entirely depends on the agri-food community for funding. “We’re at €1.2m of a budget, and while we’re stretching that money as far as we can, to increase our reach we will need to increase that budget,” he admits.
Events for all
Next Thursday 27 August Agri Aware hosts its AGM, reflecting on three decades of advocacy for farming. It takes place at the Harlin family’s dairy Farm, in Kilmessan, Co Meath (Eircode C15 Y7XF).
The AGM begins at 12.30pm. Lunch follows at 1.30pm, then a forum at 2pm where GAA legend Liam Sheedy will speak on leadership, teamwork and high-performance environments. Pre-registration is required for people wishing to attend.
On Saturday and Sunday 29 and 30 August, the Harlins also host the open farm weekend from 10.30am to 5pm each day.
Families are invited to follow the farm trail, watch milking, sheepdog trials, meet the family, sample local food and more,
There will also be cookery and machinery demonstrations.
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