From Lived Experience to Policy Influence on Food and Nutrition security

Food and nutrition insecurity is often described through data, but its realities are shaped and understood in communities. With national attention increasingly focused on food poverty, this event centres the insight held within communities and explores how it can be gathered, shared and amplified in meaningful ways.

The day is not designed to define food and nutrition insecurity. Instead, it focuses on building research and communication capacity and strengthening collaboration so lived experience and frontline knowledge can better inform policy and food supports. This will be a practical, participatory day.

This event is for those working on the ground with people experiencing food and nutrition insecurity, across community organisations, social enterprise, Family Resource Centres, HSE/Sláintecare and related services. This event welcomes anyone working directly with, or closely alongside, people and communities experiencing food and nutrition insecurity who are interested in strengthening how that work informs wider action and policy.

Contributors & approach

The day will be supported by a small group of facilitators with complementary experience across community practice, engaged research, data and ethics. Their role is to enable reflection, skill building and collaboration, rather than to define the problem or prescribe solutions.

Inputs will be short and interactive, feeding into discussion, group work and shared thinking across the day.

Intended learning outcomes

By the end of the day, participants will have:

• A clearer understanding of how frontline and lived experience can be gathered, interpreted and communicated in ways that inform local and national food and nutrition policy

• Increased confidence in working with different forms of data, including qualitative, experiential and practice based evidence

• Greater awareness of ethical and respectful approaches to gathering and using community generated insight, particularly when working with vulnerable groups

• Insight into how community–academic collaboration can support credibility, impact and influence without displacing community voice

• Approaches to capturing and valuing community‑generated knowledge and supporting participants to shape how food insecurity is understood nationally.

• New connections with others working in this space, supporting shared learning, collaboration and collective thinking across organisations and sectors

The focus is on capacity building and connection, rather than acquiring technical research expertise or reaching predetermined conclusions.

Funding & support

This event is supported by Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland under Grant number NF/2024/11698.

Initial seed funding and developmental support were provided by UL Engage, University of Limerick.

The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Research Ireland.

Info: Registration, Refreshments + Networking

Info: “Why Community Insight Must Drive National Food Security Work”

Info: Facilitated roundtable dialogue

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Pavilion, The Pavilion, University of Limerick, Ireland

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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