Alex Eivers travels to Singapore, Netherlands, Canada and the USA for Nuffield GFP, June 2022

Alex Eivers is a 2021 Nuffield Scholar from Meath whose research topic is about the efficiency of egg production and their marketing in Ireland. Alex kindly shared with us his June 2022 GFP impressions.

With Covid in the rear-view mirror, June 2022 was the month for my Nuffield GFP. I was astonished by the opportunities ahead; to travel the world and see agriculture in practice across three continents – Singapore, Netherlands, Canada, and the USA in four weeks.

Travelling to my first destination was hugely exciting, an opportunity to meet three GFP groups. All thirty scholars were full of anticipation of what lay ahead, all eager to embark on the first leg of the trip. Singapore imports 90% of its produce and the first port of call was in fresh produce & wet markets which was mind blowing. I found this an extremely interesting experience coming from a fruit & veg background here in Ireland. We also met with University of Singapore, Meat and Livestock Australia, ANZ bank and Urban farms which gave us the understanding of the scale and wavering markets in the Far east.

Next up was Netherlands, where thirty scholars became ten (six Australians, two Irish, one Brazilian and one Chilean). The Dutch produce 65 billion Euros worth of vegetables, fruit, flowers, meat and dairy products each year in the area the size of Munster. Intensification at another level. Visits included the Rabo Bank head office, a free range egg producer, an organic beetroot farm, an arable farm, a piggery, a Biogas plant, a goat, a camel and cow dairy, a 10 hectare micro vegetable producer, a Dutch flower market and a research centre for soil and farming systems. The importance of Agriculture in Holland is key to its economic survival with a huge environmental dilemma with imminent implications.

Almost halfway there, we then crossed the pond to Ontario, Canada’s second largest province with access to large markets in North America. Here we got to visit some of the best farms in North America, visits included farm enterprises growing apples, berries. soybeans, corn, mixed grains, forage crops, wheat and barley; commercial poultry enterprises, dairy and beef cattle farms. We also were privileged to visit an Amish community and got a first-hand look at how they farm without the use of modern machinery, a once in a lifetime experience. The hospitality we received in Canada was second to none with Nuffield homestays.

On our second last stop we travelled to Kansas, the breadbasket of America where agriculture is the heartbeat of the state. The group visited large scale farms, including a 30,000 head beef lot, 95,000 acre arable farm and state of the art facilities like the Farmers of America milk processing plant in Garden City; and at Cargill Innovation Centre in Wichita, an ethanol plant and a cotton ginning (cleaning) facility. We were fortunate to meet with members of University of Kansas which gave us a real insight to all things Kansas, including to a visit to a Whisky Distillery.

To conclude our visit, we re-joined the other GFP groups in the USA capital, Washington DC. We swapped our work boots for our Nuffield ties as we had the privilege to visit the United States Department of Agriculture and Capitol Building. This gave me a perspective on the role of policy in American agriculture and the importance it has in shaping the future of our planet.

I was sad to see the end of this experience. I met an amazing group of people with similar interests and a shared passion for progressing agriculture and food on a global scale.

Read more about Alex Eivers’ study topic here