HASTEN Study Tour to Ireland

05/05/2025

In April 2025, SFSI welcomed a group of 22 aspiring agri-food leaders from Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Lesotho to Ireland as part of the FAO HASTEN project. The week comprised two farm visits, presentations from government agencies and a food systems workshop by Food Systems Specialist, Sinead Mowlds. The study tour provided participants not only with technical knowledge, but with the confidence, networks and vision needed to drive this at home through peer-to-peer learning and action plans for each of the 3 country groups.

This visit allowed participants to engage directly with Irish agribusiness stakeholders and observe best practices in action. The week included a series of key visits to Irish farms, facilitated by our partners at Teagasc, along with insightful lectures from the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, UCD Food Systems Research, the School of Agriculture and Food Science, UCD Global, Nova UCD, and Enterprise Ireland.

Following the Study Tour, SFSI has launched an interactive Buddy System to connect entrepreneurs, policymakers, farmers, and individuals working across the agri-food industry. Additionally, the FAO Office of SDGs is running a series of practical lectures to enhance capacity and knowledge for SDG-based agrifood systems transformation, featuring case studies from Rwanda and Sierra Leone.  

Please get in touch if you would like to get involved: info@sfsi.ie