I welcome funding of almost €100,000 for a short term research project into the position of women in farming and the agriculture sector. The research, led by Dr Maryanne Hurley of Munster Technological University and in collaboration with Teagasc, is funded through the Department of Agriculture’s Policy and Strategic Studies Research Call, 2022.
As a former academic researcher myself, I am passionate about the funding of research as key to policy development. I am delighted that Dr Maryanne Hurley will be leading a research project on highlighting pathways for rural women to have sustainable and equitable livelihoods in farming. We had a fantastic conference on Women in Agriculture on St Brigid’s Day and research like this is important for Irish agriculture and equality.
Women in Agriculture conference
The awards of over €4.2 million for 19 short term research projects, were announced this week by my colleague Minister Martin Heydon. They are projects that look specifically at emerging policy and strategic needs of the agri-food, forest and bioeconomy sectors.”
I am particularly interested that, amongst other areas of research, Dr Hurley aims to identify any geographical differences by region or county in the participation levels, incomes and experiences of women involved in agriculture. I look forward to assisting in implementing her findings.