“Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability of Irish Horticulture”

Walsh Scholarships Ref Number 2024019

Background

University College Cork and Teagasc are offering a funded 4-year PhD programme, under the Teagasc Walsh Scholarship programme. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this project aims to increase our understanding of what constitutes a sustainable horticultural food system for Ireland, encompassing the three key pillars of sustainability – economic, environmental and social. The objectives of the project address a key recommendations of the Food Vision 2030 report which called for actions that would address the challenges and opportunities to sustain and grow the industry. 

Despite being a major exporter of food products, over 80% of the fruit and vegetables that are consumed in Ireland are imported from abroad. The objective of this project is to conduct research to enhance the sustainability of the Irish horticulture sector with a view to replacing these imports with home-grown produce, thus contributing to Irish and EU sustainability targets such as those identified in the EU Green Deal and the diversification targets in the Climate Action Plan.

The PhD candidate will use an inter-disciplinary approach to address the following project aims;  

• Develop a framework to collect and report metrics on the socio-economic and environmental performance of the horticulture sector in Ireland;  
• Examine the drivers of horticulture product price formation at retail level in Ireland and across the EU;
• Examine the  evidence base for the value of national production of fruit/vegetables to public health and society; and 
• Determine drivers and barriers for local and seasonal fruit and vegetable consumption to simultaneously achieve recommended dietary intakes and environmental benefits. 

The PhD candidate will be registered with UCC, and will study under the supervision of Professors Thia Hennessy and Mary McCarthy of Cork University Business School, and will be co-supervised by Drs. Fiona Thorne and Sinead McCarthy of Teagasc. The PhD candidate will spend time in both the UCC campus and at a Teagasc research centre.

Requirements

• A minimum of a 2.1 honours degree in agricultural economics, food and agribusiness management, economics or related subjects
• The successful candidate should be enthusiastic, self-motivated and will interact well within a larger research team.
• Applicants whose first language is not English require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5. Further information on English language requirements will be provided on application.

Award

The PhD programme is for 4 years and will commence as soon as possible. The scholarship funding is €31,000 per annum and includes University fees of up to a maximum of €6,000 per annum and flat rate stipend of €25,000 per annum and is tenable for 4 years.

The successful applicant will receive tailored guidance on their research, be part of UCC’s research focused Business School community and the Teagasc research community. At the earliest possible opportunity during the tenure of a scholarship, the awardee will be required to prepare a series of journal articles to disseminate research findings and achieve desired impact.

Further Information

For further details about the project, contact Dr. Fiona Thorne at fiona.thorne@teagasc.ie or Prof. Thia Hennessy at thia.hennessy@ucc.ie