The Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland has announced that Jack Bobo, CEO of Futurity, a US-based food foresight company and former advisor to Hillary Clinton, will deliver the keynote address at the upcoming Michael Dillon Memorial Lecture which takes place on April 8, 2022.

This year’s event, which is sponsored by Kerry Group, will take place at The Marker Hotel in Dublin.

The theme for the event is ‘The Future of Food’ and speakers will explore what consumers will be eating in 2030 and beyond as we strive to feed the growing population in the most sustainable way.

Guild of Agricultural Journalists

The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion, moderated by RTÉ’s Audrey Carville, featuring Jack Bobo; Grace Binchy, trends and insights specialist, Bord Bia; and Juan Aguiriano, head of sustainability at Kerry Group.

The panel will explore current and future consumer trends and how the drive towards more sustainable food production will impact the Irish market and Irish farmers.

Speaking about the event, Amy Forde, southern chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists said: “It is expected that by 2050 the global population will reach 10 billion people and in excess of 50% more food will need to be produced to feed everyone. Our upcoming event is going to focus on what this means for Irish farmers and food producers.

“The Michael Dillon Memorial Lecture is always a fantastic opportunity to tap into some of the key issues facing the agriculture and food industry and provides our agri-journalists and communicators with a platform to network with industry peers.

“We are delighted to be hosting our first in-person event in two years and look forward to welcoming our members to The Marker hotel in April.”

Michael Dillon memorial lecture

The biennial event is hosted in honour of the late Michael Dillon, one of Ireland’s foremost agricultural journalists and broadcasters and a founding member of the Irish Guild of Agricultural Journalists.

Previous speakers include Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, and former European Commissioners Phil Hogan, Ray McSharry and Peter Sutherland (RIP).

Commenting on the upcoming lecture, Catherine Keogh, chief corporate affairs and brand officer, Kerry Group said: “The topic of the event, – The Future of Food – is now more important than ever before.

“Our food systems are currently nourishing nearly eight billion people with a significant climate and environmental impact. The food system needs to change radically to ensure that the world can feed 10 billion people in 2050.

“As the world’s leading sustainable nutrition company, we are delighted to be involved in this important event and I look forward to discussing how we work together to sustainably feed future generations and the important role of Irish producers in delivering these goals.”