Despite the time elapsed, most people can still remember a rhyme, poem or prayer they learned in school. Maybe it was a verse to help recall the planets, sentences to learn the number of days in each month or even just “head, shoulders, knees and toes”. Regardless of what exactly it is, many things ingrained in us during childhood stick. With this in mind, scientist and consumer engagement professional, Dr Vanessa Woods has written a book of poetry called Irish Food from A-Z. Through these poems she aims to tell the story of Irish farming, food, culture and health in an accessible manner for young children.
Despite the time elapsed, most people can still remember a rhyme, poem or prayer they learned in school. Maybe it was a verse to help recall the planets, sentences to learn the number of days in each month or even just “head, shoulders, knees and toes”.
Regardless of what exactly it is, many things ingrained in us during childhood stick. With this in mind, scientist and consumer engagement professional, Dr Vanessa Woods has written a book of poetry called Irish Food from A-Z. Through these poems she aims to tell the story of Irish farming, food, culture and health in an accessible manner for young children.
The book is linked to the Irish primary school curriculum, principally the science curriculum, but also incorporating areas of geography and history, as well as being aligned to the literacy and numeracy strategies. Next week, school principals around Ireland and teacher training colleges will receive the resource.
Vanessa completed an animal nutrition-based PhD, was previously CEO of Agri Aware, going on then to become director of communications with Devenish, before starting her own science communications company. First and foremost though, Vanessa informs Irish Country Living she is a farmer’s daughter from Co Meath.
An extract from Irish Food from A-Z.
Vanessa’s interest in poetry stems from the love her late father Frederick, who was a beef and tillage farmer, had for the written verse also.
“My interest in food comes from growing up on the farm. My dream is to have my own farm, hopefully sooner rather than later. My sister is an orthodontist, my brother is a dentist and I guess I’ve learned a lot from them in terms of the health side.
“I would have worked in the space of science, so I’m generally interested in messaging around nutrients and health. I guess my family and my background has a lot to contribute in that sense.”
In starting her own science communications company, Vanessa wanted to marry science and public relations to communicate complex science simply. This aim is very much mirrored in her new children’s book. Vanessa wants the book to engage children in the science that underpins food, farming and health.
I’m looking at optimising the utilisation of nutrients for soil, plant, animal, dental, human and environmental health
“My book aims to look at One Health. This is an approach where multiple sectors come together to achieve better public health outcomes. So I’m looking at food nutrients, not food as a commodity.
“Within that I’m looking at optimising the utilisation of nutrients for soil, plant, animal, dental, human and environmental health, because they are all key interlinking components of the food value chain.
“Looking into it further, how do you remember all of these messages when you are bombarded with information? I remember little poems my father told me, so that’s another reason I wrote it in poetry, so it’s memorable.”
Shopping for nutrients
Vanessa is very passionate about the nutritional value of food and communicating this to consumers. She believes that instead of food being seen as a commodity, it should be recognised for its nutritional profile.
“When we go to the supermarket, based on what we need, we form a list of food as a commodity. You have bread, milk, meat, but we need to shop for nutrients. That’s what I’m trying to achieve from my book. I’m trying to start a conversation around shopping for nutrients; understanding the importance of nutrients in our food for proactive human health.
“There’s lots of information about the carbon footprint of different foods, but that’s looking at food as a commodity. I would be saying the carbon footprint of nutrient-dense foods, for example meat and dairy, is offset by their higher nutritional value. This could be a key focus area for researchers and an area that will be of interest to consumers. Again, that goes back to the point of shopping for nutrients.”
There’s a whole discussion and debate around the environment and the work farmers are doing to become more efficient and more sustainable
Alongside nutrition, Vanessa feels there are many more scientific messages from Irish agriculture that need to be communicated to consumers. With regards to the environment and sustainability, she explains that those involved in the agricultural industry are aware of positive work going on, but it’s vital this is conveyed to “Joe Public”.
“There’s a whole discussion and debate around the environment and the work farmers are doing to become more efficient and more sustainable. I know as a scientist there’s so much work going on, but the public aren’t aware of the vast array of studies, research, development, innovation and partnerships that are happening by the leading researchers across Ireland’s agri-food industry.
“In my book, the poem W is for Water, that’s talking about water quality. So what’s the indicator of healthy water? It’s healthy fish. What work are farmers and industry doing in terms of measuring and manging water quality? Well, there’s the Agriculture Sustainability Support and Advisory Program (ASSAP), but who knows about that unless they’re involved in it? We have to start communicating these messages to let the non-farming public know.”
Read more
Living Life: coming full circle
Living Life: Crisis and clarity
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: