October 13-14, Northwood
UK: Focus on health at the CIH Annual Conference
This is the first time the conference has been held in Ireland and CIH President, Dr Owen Doyle CHort FCIHort, discussed why: "The Chartered Institute of Horticulture represents professional horticulturists in both Great Britain and Ireland, so it was high time the conference be held in Ireland. We will have the opportunity to listen to experts and visit industry sites demonstrating excellence in horticulture, in the era of Brexit it is essential to maintain strong links with colleagues and businesses within the EU.
"This year’s conference has a theme of ‘Healthy Horticulture’, to reflect the significant impact that horticulture has on human physical and mental health. We will also look at how to maintain a healthy horticulture business and implement succession planning for future generations. Plants are essential for human life on this planet; their cultivation is what horticulturists do! In addition to providing the oxygen we breathe, the foods we eat and the medicines we need, they also give us the beautiful, healthy environments in which we live and work."
Highlighting the importance of health and horticulture, Microbiologist Dr Fiona Crispie, technologist at Teagasc and the APC Microbiome Institute, will discuss ‘You are what you eat: The microbiome and health’.
Caroline Keeling will be presenting the James Bruce Memorial Lecture: Growing with passion to meet consumer needs. Caroline is Chair of Bord Bia’s Horticultural Board and a member of the Export Trade Council, as well as a prominent figure campaigning for jobs implementation in Ireland, supporting women for election, and many more just causes.
Representing the amenity sector will be Director of Out There Services, Steven Thompson. A market leader in the UK grounds maintenance and landscaping sector, Steven will be discussing ‘A healthy career in horticulture’.
Held across two days with a full day of talks on the Friday culminating with a gala dinner in the evening, followed the next morning with visits to leaders in the field for mushrooms and growing media, as well as an award winning arboretum.
Find out more about who will be joining the programme and book your ticket online here.