Speakers
Gerry Lawson
Gerry Lawson is a forester and ecologist with experience in temperate, tropical and antarctic regions. He has worked on EU research projects relating to agriculture, bioenergy and environment since Framework Programme 1 (1984-87), and contributed to European agroforestry, climate and bioenergy policy issues over the past 30 years. He has worked for BAS, CEH, NERC, DEFRA, EPSRC and RCUK and is now a part-time policy analyst for the European Agroforestry Federation. He was a lead author of the IPCC Good Practice Guide for Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry in 2004, and remains excited by things like CAP Strategic Plans, AFOLU, LULUCF, NECPs, LPIS, LUCAS, CLS+, Landscape Features and all the challenges facing EU Member States as they try to bring net GHG emissions in the land sector down to zero.
Tom Houlihan
Tom Houlihan holds a B.Agr.Sc (Hons) in forestry from University College Dublin and a M.Sc. degree from the Munster Technological University, Tralee. He also completed a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Sustainability through UCD (2016). Tom initially worked in the private forest sector in Ireland and joined the Teagasc Forestry Development Department in 2000. He has worked as a Forestry Development Officer both in the southeast in the southwest of Ireland. He has worked as a Forestry Specialist within the Teagasc Forestry Development Department since 2017. Tom has an interest in a range of aspects with a forestry linkage, including Geographic Information Systems, climate change mitigation, forest economics, water quality and the bioeconomy.
Dr Kathy Soder
Dr. Kathy Soder has been a Research Animal Scientist with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agricultural Research Service since 1998. She is stationed at the Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, Pennsylvania, US. She studies the plant-animal interface in grazing-based dairy and livestock systems. Specific areas of research include nutrition, grazing behavior, pasture management, alternative forage systems, enteric methane emissions, and most recently integrating forage crop, pasture, and ruminant livestock systems for economic and environmental sustainability of ruminant livestock farms. Dr. Soder received a B.Sc. in Animal Science from The Pennsylvania State University, an M.Sc. in Animal Science from Montana State University, and a Ph.D. in Animal Science from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Soder is widely recognized for her grazing research and known for her practical recommendations related to ruminant nutrition and optimizing grazing management to balance production and environmental priorities.
Dr Réamaí Mathers
Réamaí is an environmental consultant as well as a part-time sheep and beef farmer on a small farm in North Antrim. He is a regenerative farmer who is interested in the local circular market and working with nature to the benefit of the farm business and biodiversity.
Réamaí is of the opinion that agroforestry has a central role on livestock and indeed arable farms and will discuss cultural and economic barriers to this and the need for education around this important aspect of sustainable agriculture.
Niamh Garvey
Niamh Garvey joined NESC as Senior Policy Analyst in March 2021 and works in the area of sustainable development and climate action. Niamh was previously the Head of Policy and Advocacy at Trócaire – an Irish international development organisation, working in 17 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America, where she led a team of policy and advocacy advisors working on climate change, sustainable agriculture, business and human rights and international finance. She held previous roles in research and advocacy at Christian Aid and the Institute of Development Studies, and has served as Board Director with a number of NGOs, including Debt and Development Coalition Ireland, Friends of the Earth Ireland and the Fairtrade Mark Ireland. She is a graduate of Durham University and the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.
Hannes Bürckmann
Trained as a farmer and studied agricultural sciences (focus on business administration), research assistant in a model project of the University of Hohenheim on participatory regional development. Co-owner of neulandplus GmbH & Co. KG (location, tourism and regional development). Active for 25 years in the field of regional development, land use, (land use concepts, value chains, regional marketing) and marketing.
Main fields of work: Policy advice on land use concepts (e.g. expert opinion on orchards in Baden-Württemberg, model landscapes for biodiversity promotion in Baden-Württemberg, agricultural model in Saxony), preparation of integrated rural development concepts (e.g. for funding programmes such as LEADER, ILEK, bio-model regions, bio-energy), consulting and implementation of regional management (e.g. ILE, LEADER). Focus on land use and AFS orchards: Development and implementation of land use concepts for various product areas (including milk, meat, cereals, hay) with a focus on orchard fruit; concept and feasibility analyses incl. business plans in regional marketing and food processing or marketing support; development and management of thematic networking platforms (including European Orchard Day, Hochstamm Deutschland e.V.), office of Hochstamm Deutschland e.V. and European Orchard Day.
Eugene Curran
Eugene graduated with a B.Agr.Sc and M.Agr.Sc. in Forestry from University College Dublin. He is also a graduate of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and has further qualifications in GIS and Biodiversity from University College Cork. Eugene began work in the Forest and Wildlife Service, he then moved to Coillte Teoranta and worked in the Research and Development unit. Currently, Eugene works for the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) as a District Forestry Inspector in the South West. He has assisted in the development of innovative forestry schemes, including the Native Woodland Scheme. He has spent more than a decade developing, progressing and promoting agroforestry, both within DAFM and outside of it. He is also a founding member of the Irish Agroforestry Forum
Dr Rory Harrington
Dr. Rory Harrington, Senior Scientist at Waterford-based VESI Environmental Ltd. https://www.vesienviro.com/
He is a forester and wildlife biologist and is a graduate of UCD. He has attended the renowned Yale School of Forestry and has had a long and illustrious career in many aspects of tree growing including wetland management.
Dr Lindsay Whistance
Dr. Lindsay Whistance is a Senior Livestock Researcher at the Organic Research Centre, and has worked on animal behaviour, health and welfare research since 2003. Her interests include human-animal relationships and the role that diverse, species-rich environments play in offering high welfare conditions as well as food and medicine for domestic animals. Current focus includes considering the ecological value of livestock/grazing animals and how these benefits can be acknowledged in our food systems.
Fergus Moore
Fergus Moore is Senior Inspector at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and heads up the Forest Sector Development Division. He has assigned responsibilities which include the development of the forest sector, national forest inventory, forest genetic resources and the contribution of forests to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Responsibilities also include EU and International engagements on forest policy on behalf of DAFM.
Kathleen Conroy
Kathleen has a BSc in environmental science from the University of Massachusetts Boston and an MSc in biodiversity and conservation from Trinity College Dublin. After finishing her MSc, Kathleen did conservation and forest management in Hawaii and California. Now, she is a PhD student on the For-ES project and will assist with many aspects of this project. Ultimately, she will deliver a decision support tool that forest managers can use to make informed decisions.
Rachel Irwin
Growing up on a drystock farm in the west of Ireland nurtured my interest in agroecology, sustainable food production and policy.
Throughout academia, I have developed a keen research interest in agroforestry and the benefits it provides both to the individual farmer, and furthermore wider society. I believe that it is a major tool in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
My current research project Small Woodlands on Farms focuses on small woodlands on dairy and drystock farms and the potential ambition of the Post 2020 CAP, whereby farm woodland creation will be further encouraged in the EU.
This project aims to discuss the impacts of trees and small woodlands on biodiversity, carbon sequestration, ecosystem services and livestock production; to inform policy and create management guidelines. This is in conjunction with the investigation into farmers’ attitudes and perceptions of agroforestry.