Schedule 2025

Day 1 | Farm & Land – Soil, Methane, and Land
Day 2 | Community Resilience Strengthening Local Food Economies
Day 3 | Stories from the Field – Community Learning & Movement Building
Day 4 I Farm Social

Thursday April 3rd – 11:00 – 17:00

Day 1 | Farm & Land – Soil, Methane, and Land

Soil health, methane reduction, and the potential for a Land Observatory in Ireland. Join the discussion on how we can best protect our land through policy, innovation and regenerative practices.

10:30	Refreshments and Networking
11:00	Voices from the field Opening – Panel Discussion – Table Conversations
12:30	Lunch
13:30	Breakouts Soil Health This participative break-out will explore the issues and challenges faced in soil health and management by Irish farmers and how the SOILCRATES project can support Methane reduction through Food Systems Transformation This breakout session will focus on how an agroecological approach to food system transformation can support reduction in methane emissions. Land Policy There are huge pressures on land – unsuited practices, speculative hoarding, emerging infrastructural and legislative asks – which impact rural areas, farmers and how we approach our environmental needs and targets. This breakout will assess the lay of the land, to understand what the needs are, and how we could achieve these in a fair and ecological manner. The role and potential of a land observatory will be assessed as an enabler of resilient rural areas.
15:00	Feedback from the Breakouts
15:30	Blended Plenary: Advancing a Land Observatory for Ireland This session, open to online participants, will explore what a Land Observatory is, why it is needed, how one can be established in Ireland, and its role in tracking land ownership, access, and use. Bringing in the Access to Land network from Europe.
17:00	Close

Friday April 4th – 10:00 – 17:00

Day 2 | Community Resilience Strengthening Local Food Economies

Understanding and strengthening local food economies – how local food systems contribute to the resilience of our communities. Exploring how to support and scale community food hubs, short food supply chain advisors, food partnerships, a basic income for local food producers and the policies that could transform our food systems.

10:00	Strengthening Local Food Economies Where are we at? Why do we need to transform the food system? What initiatives and examples, often operating on the margins without adequate support, are planting the seeds of a thriving local food economy?
12:00	Putting Local Food on the Agenda What innovations, policies, and enablers are needed to support, scale, and make viable local food systems, especially those operating on the margins?
13:00	Lunch
13:45	Breakouts: Training Local Food Facilitators Led by Cultivate, EU4Advice -Defining the role & training needed for Short Food Supply Chain Advisors. Basic Income for Local Food Producers Talamh Beo Led by Feasta, Cultivate- focused on Basic Income and related policy proposals for local food producers. Enabling short food supply chains Led by OFN Ireland, CODECS – Focused on Food Hubs, digital farmers markets & the potential of local food partnerships.
15:30	Partnering For Change Local and global stories, reflections on effective partnerships, and approaches transforming food systems.
17:00	Close

Saturday April 5th – 10:00 – 17:00

Day 3 | Stories from the Field Community Learning & Movement Building

Local, national, and international voices to build fair, resilient, and regenerative food systems. Conversations to connect, inspire, and mobilise for a stronger local food movement! Through shared learning and collaboration, we will: explore the wider political and policy context; amplify practical strategies for strengthening local food economies; and build our movement of solidarity, ecology, and fairness in farming and food – from the parish to Palestine.

09:30	Welcome & refreshments
10:00	Voices from the Field, Panel discussion and table conversation.
11:30	Break
12:00	Stories from the Field, Movement building conversation
13:30	Lunch
14:30	Open Space Breakouts
15:15	Break
15:30	Ireland to Palestine Connections
16:30	Final plenary
17:00	Close

Sunday April 6th

Day 4 | Farm Social

A session for people who care about the land. In the morning, all kinds of farmers and environmental advocates will share a calm, respectful and reflective space to really hear each other. In the afternoon, a Cloughjordan Community Farm walk and talk will begin at the Food Hub with an introduction to the Open Food Network (OFN) digital platform, and the North Tipperary Online Farmers Market. A farm walk will follow, offering insights into Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and discussions on syntropic agriculture with Astrid Adler.

11:00 – 12:30	Deep Listening
14:30 – 16:30	Farm Walk & Talk – Free of charge. (starts at the Food Hub in WeCreate)