About - Talamh Beo

Welcome to Talamh Beo

Food policies by the people, for the people!

We believe that farmers and communities should be at the centre of decision-making for food and agriculture systems and developing agricultural policies.

We stand for a system which puts the power back into the hands of farmers, communities and citizens instead of corporate interests and industrial agriculture and food production.

Talamh Beo are Ireland’s only members of the European Coordination Via Campesina – itself part of La Via Campesina, the international movement of farmers with more than 180 member organisations in 82 countries.

By joining Talamh Beo, you are joining an international movement working for agroecology, regenerative farming and food sovereignty.

Become a Member

Our food system should

Talamh Beo

What We Stand For

Which would you prefer?

Local food producers need your help and support! We all know that locally produced, nutrient dense food is best for us and our families, so make your views heard & tell our government that we want to move away from industrialised agriculture and back to supporting our local food producers!

A vision of a better future
through locally produced food

We want to create a better food system in Ireland, where all people have access to healthy, nutritious and affordable local food.

WE STAND FOR:

Food, fuel and fibre sovereignty – Read more about the Six Pillars of Food Sovereignty here
Land use which improves social, economic and environmental conditions
Resilient rural and farming communities
Direct access to culturally appropriate, nutrient dense, quality and local food
Every citizen having access to healthy, regionally produced, affordable food from farmers they can trust

Become a Member

Talamh Beo Core Group Members

We aim to ensure a living landscape where people and ecosystems can thrive together

Talamh Beo

Our Team

Board of Directors

Ruth Hegarty is a food policy and sustainable food systems specialist. She leads and consults on a wide variety of projects that promote better food environments, food education, local food networks, and a resilient and sustainable food system, as well as being involved in food policy research and advocacy. She is also an experienced facilitator, MC, and writer. Ruth holds a Masters in Food Policy from City, University of London and a Masters in European Economic & Public Affairs from UCD, and lectures in Food Policy at UCC.

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ruthhegarty Twitter: @eggandchick Instagram: @eggandchick

Mimi Crawford is an environmental geologist, organic farmer, mother and artisan food producer.

Mimi combines her geological and environmental work on soils and landscapes in Ireland with her experience of farming to explore context specific challenges and opportunities arising for small farms and artisan food producers in a changing world.

Together, she and her husband Owen run a small, diversified farm with a raw milk micro-dairy, poultry and pigs and she is currently a member of the FSAI Artisan Forum.

www.crawfordsfarm.ie

Emanuela Russo is a farmer, communicator and mother based in County Galway. She and her partner Fergal run a small scale agroecological farm (Leaf and Root Farm) near Loughrea, where they have been growing organic vegetables and fruits since 2011.

Manu is the coordinator of the International Nyéléni newsletter, a communications tool of the International Food Sovereignty movement. nyeleni.org. She holds a Masters in International Cooperation from CIRPS (Interuniversity Research Centre for Sustainable Development), Rome.

www.leafandroot.org

John Brennan has managed Leitrim Organic Farmers Coop since 2001 and has also farmed Irish Moiled Cattle and sheep organically in Roscommon since 1998.

He is Chairman of National Organic Training Skillnet (NOTS) and Irish Native Rare Breeds Society (INRBS), and also works as an organic advisor and general farm advisor.

John’s hope is that Talamh Beo will define a new path for agriculture in Ireland – one that will be led by agroecology, and that will ensure that those who wish to farm can do so through the tenets of Food Sovereignty.

Davie Philips co-founded FEASTA, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, and Sustainable Projects Ireland Ltd., the educational charity developing Cloughjordan Ecovillage, where he is based. He works with Cultivate, the Sustainable Ireland Cooperative, leading initiatives to build the capacity of local catalysts to facilitate engagement.

Davie is actively involved with Cloughjordan Community Farm and is a coordinator of the Food Hub within the Ecovillage. He also plays a role in leading the Feeding Ourselves Community of Practice and manages an Irish Living Lab of stakeholders focused on short food supply chains.

Thomas O Connor owns and runs www.mannaorganicstore.ie and farm with his wife Claire in Kerry. They have a 25 acre mixed organic farm where we grow produce for our organic store in Tralee. Thomas believes that we need to work with nature rather than against it, knowing that food and seed sovereignty can help us build resilient and sustainable communities. He is also involved with www.transitionkerry.org and www.biodynamicagriculture.ie

Linkedin: organicfarmerthomas

Rose Hogan is the Global Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Adviser with an International Development Agency.

She has over 30 experience in formulating, implementing and monitoring participatory rural development, sustainable agriculture and land use programmes with partners in coastal, forest, freshwater wetlands and agro-ecosystems.

She has designed and underpins all rural livelihoods and food systems work with agroecological principles and the FAO Ten Elements of Agroecology.

Fergal Smith is a farm manager and former pro-surfer. He has a background in horticulture from growing up on his parents market garden outside Westport in Co. Mayo where his dad was a pioneer in small scale horticulture.

Up until he was 24 he travelled the world and surfed the best waves around, at which point he gave it all up and returned to Ireland to work the land.

Fergal has completed the 10-day 3LM Holistic Management training and Richard Perkins 10 day intensive regenerative agriculture training.

Operational Group

Thomas O’Connor see bio in Board of Directors group.

Fergal Anderson worked in Brussels for La Via Campesina before returning to Ireland to establish Leaf and Root Farm on a greenfield site 12 years ago with his partner Emanuela Russo. They supply vegetables and fruits to local restaurants and manage a mixed species woodland. Fergal thinks Talamh Beo can be a positive force in Irish farming and help transform our food and agricultural systems for the better.

Janet Power runs an organic market on a 1/2 acre plot www.gorsefarm.ie with her partner Jenny Watkins. She has previously served as a board member of IOA & now sits on the certification panel. Janet became an active member of Talamh Beo because she believes that agroecology and food sovereignty provide the framework for the solutions we need to make a sustainable food system, short food supply chains and viable livelihoods for small-medium scale food producers.

Gypsy Gifford has a background as a professional chef & is one third of the team at Leitrim Hill Creamery, a small goat farm in Co Leitrim which also produces cheese and ice cream. She is also an active member of the Talamh Beo Women’s working group.

Ailbhe Gerrard is a farmer, beekeeper, researcher and agricultural educator, and the founder of Brookfield Farm on the shores of Lough Derg, Co. Tipperary. With postgraduate training in sustainable development and organic farming in the UK, she returned to Ireland to build a regenerative, nature-led farm that combines livestock, bees, woodlands and biodiversity work with public learning and collaboration. Over the past fifteen years she has developed Brookfield as both a working farm and a place of exchange, convening farmers, artists, scientists and communities through the Field Exchange programme to explore practical climate and biodiversity solutions on the ground.

Anna Browne (https://bigskyflowers.ie) owns a 44 acre mixed forest, but while she waits for trees to grow she farms flowers & runs sustainability workshops. Anna believes that Horticulture (and flower farming in particular) has an important role to play in food and seed sovereignty, as well as supporting biodiversity. Inspired by the passion and clarity of mission of Talamh Beo, Anna has quickly become an active member of the group.

Secretariat Group

Janet Power see bio in operational group.

Evonne Boland is originally from Kildare and spent several years working in International Financial Services before shifting her focus to supporting local food systems. During a career break about ten years ago, she began working at the community level to strengthen local food networks. Evonne has since run The Cottage Market Newbridge, managed a local Food Hub, and co-founded the Open Food Network Ireland. She believes that communities of eaters working together can play a vital role in rebuilding our broken food system.

Fergal Anderson see bio in operational group.

Rebecca Vining is a PhD researcher in Maynooth University, involved with Derrybeg Farm CSA, and is a founding member of Talamh Óg (youth working group). She believes that a better future is possible and is interested in the potential of food sovereignty to transform our food systems in a way that revitalises democracy and supports human and ecological health.

Milo Butler is a co owner of OURgnaic Gardens, an outdoor educational garden focused on food growing 🍓, nature re-connection 🌳& permaculture design 🌎. www.ourganicgardens.ie

Milo & his wife Joanne, run the gardens & offer hands on courses on growing your own food, sustainability and the environment. From individual gardening enthusiasts, to college horticulture students, community groups and even workplace team-building groups.

They also farm using home scale permaculture, the no-dig method and incorporate other holistic practices into their gardening

Allison Roberts spent the last 20 years as a social entrepreneur running her bean-to-bar chocolate micro factory in West Cork. Over the last few years she has changed course, doing a 2-year food waste reduction project with VOICE Ireland and is now part of Talamh Beo’s secretariat, focusing on the Strengthening Local Food Economies & Pathways to Organic SFSCs projects. Allison is also an active member of the Irish Cycling Campaign and has been running the Clonakilty Bicycle Festival since 2011.

OUR wider network

We are proud members of

La Via Campesina

Talamh Beo is part of the wider global organisation La Via Campesina and its European branch (ECVC).

The National Women’s Council

T he National Women’s Council is the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland, founded in 1973. We have over 190 member groups and a large and growing community of individual supporters.

Agroecology Europe

Agroecology Europe intends to place agroecology high on the European agenda of sustainable farming and food systems. We foster interaction and knowledge sharing to create an inclusive European community of professionals, practitioners, and societal stakeholders in agroecology.

The Irish Environmental Network

Irish Environmental Network is an umbrella network that works to support national environmental NGOs through access to funding and services. It consists of environmental NGOs that carry out their work through practical conservation work, campaigning, lobbying and raising public awareness of environmental and conservation needs.

The Wheel

The Wheel is Ireland’s national association of charities, community groups and social enterprises. They provide leadership to the charity and community sector and advocate on behalf of members. As a resource they offer advice, training and other opportunities to people working or volunteering in the charity and community sector.

IDEA

IDEA – the Irish Development Education Association, is the national network for Global Citizenship Education in Ireland. Together with our members, they work to strengthen and champion Global Citizenship Education in Ireland and internationally.

About Us