Jennifer McConnell is a social researcher and Founder of Living Legacy, working with individuals, business, and communities, in succession planning, end of life planning, and legacy building to make the world a better place for future generations. 

 

Jennifer developed an interest in food security from living in developing countries, Haiti, Jamaica, and Papua New Guinea and travelling throughout South America, Europe and Australasia. As former General Manager of Irish Seed Savers from 2017 to mid-2021, Jennifer was introduced to seed sovereignty and the importance of seed in food security, and through this was involved in various research programmes with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in Ireland, the European Co-ordination Let’s Liberate Diversity (ECLLD) which is a seed and food focused European network, as well as involvement in the Irish Environmental Network.

 

Since 2021 Jennifer is researching food security in Ireland through her Masters in Applied Social Research with the University of Limerick. In this SeedCLOUD episode Jennifer discusses the subject matter of her research, stemming from a culmination of Jennifer’s professional experiences.

 

Jennifer recounts how this lived experience gave her fundamental insight into the disparity and inequity of global food systems as well as the impact of global trade agreements on local populations, particularly those living in poverty. Exposure to these critical food security issues laid the foundation for her interest to explore food production, supply, and availability, thus planting the seed for Jennifer’s inquiry into Ireland’s food systems. 

 

Join Jennifer as she discusses the beginnings of her journey through to her current research into food sovereignty, seed security, and the importance of localised food production and how contributory factors such as climate change, war and convenience culture impact upon these systems. 

 

To learn more about Jennifer’s work in food security follow her @BiaAmachAnseo.