Tenders have now opened for the establishment of a development programme for female rural entrepreneurs, following the allocation of funding from the Department of Agriculture.

A competitive public procurement procedure under the 2018 Rural Innovation and Development Fund for Rural Female Entrepreneurs has been announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.

Total funding of €200,000 is being made available for the development and implementation of an enterprise development programme, targeted at nascent entrepreneurial women living in rural areas.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine is seeking proposals from “suitable, experienced service providers” who have the capability and vision to develop and implement a tailored work programme to address the skills, enterprise and capability gaps of rural nascent female entrepreneurs.

The deadline for submission of tenders is 12:00pm on June 27, 2018, according to the department.

Tenders will be assessed through a competitive process for funding of proposed projects.

Ceres Event

Ceres, the women in agri-food leadership network, is hosting a breakfast event on Tuesday, May 29, to discuss ‘The Challenges of Embracing Diversity and Effecting Change in Agri-Food Businesses’.

Speakers will include: Ciara Jackson, food, agribusiness and drink practice leader at Aon; Brendan Gleeson, head of policy and strategy at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Brid Horan, non-executive director and former deputy CEO of ESB and founder of 30% Club Ireland; and Sean Farrell, head of agriculture at Bank of Ireland.

Tickets, which cost €15 per person, include a continental breakfast and can be booked on the Eventbrite website.