The Nuffield Foundation and beginning of Nuffield Ireland
In 1943, Morris established the Nuffield Foundation for “the advancement of health and social well-being and the care and comfort of the aged poor”. By 1947, encouraged by Jack Maclean, Vice President of the NFU, these objectives had been widened to include agricultural advancement.
In 1978 the Trust changed its name to “The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust” to recognise and honour its illustrious benefactor. In 1950, the Nuffield Foundation started a parallel scheme covering farmers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Kenya, the Rhodesias and Tanganyika. In 1976, the Foundation asked those countries still in the scheme to fund their own awards. France joined the scheme in 1982 and Ireland joined in 1996.
Irish involvement began with an initiative by the Irish Farmers Journal, the Irish Farmers Association and the FBD Trust. From 1996 until 2011, Irish scholars travelled to the UK Annual Nuffield Conference to present their reports. By 2011, Nuffield Ireland had grown to almost 50 scholars, and the first Nuffield Ireland Annual Conference was held.
Our History
The ethos and focus of the Nuffield Farming Scholarship owes a lot to its founder, William Morris (who later became Lord Nuffield). Morris, an industrialist and philanthropist in the United Kingdom, made his fortune building bicycles and later launching Morris Motor Company. As part of his journey to learn about building cars, Morris sought out other leaders in the sector to see what they were doing. This curiosity, experiential learning, and transformative travel helped shape his success, and it is the foundation of the journey each Nuffield Scholar undertakes.
More detail on William Morris, his career and philanthropic focus, and the establishment of the Nuffield Farming Scholars program in 1947 can be found in the book ‘Nuffield, The Man’ by Caroline Nixon.
Our Governance
The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust Ireland Limited is a company limited by guarantee. It was registered on 27th September 2006, CRO number 427190.
Registered Charity Number: 20062002
Nuffield Ireland is governed by a Board of Directors, and they can delegate some activities to sub committees.
Chairperson: Joe Leonard
Treasurer: Karol Kissane
Executive Secretary: Catherine Lascurettes
Board of Directors
What is Nuffield International
The vision of Nuffield International is to develop people to make a difference in the world of agriculture. This work is done by developing the individuals in agriculture who will shape the future of agriculture and our local and global communities.
A non-profit organisation with a global footprint, Nuffield International encompasses our member countries of Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe. In addition, Nuffield International leads efforts to support the engagement of the program into new countries. Currently, Nuffield International is administering the development of the scholarship program in Brazil, Chile, South Africa and the United States of America – with a view to continually expand this unique opportunity to other agriculturists from all over the world.
Visit Nuffield International – https://www.nuffieldinternational.org/
