Ann Derwin has had a career most people could only dream of, culminating in her appointment to the role of chief economist in the Department of Agriculture. In this position, Ann has overseen the production of the Food Harvest 2020 report. She leads a team of economists and analysts working in the area of economic planning, analysis and strategy development for the agri-food sector, as well as representing the Department of Agriculture internationally.

So where did it all begin? Ann is a Dub, born and reared in Kilmacud, a south Dublin suburb beside UCD. After the Leaving Cert she completed the Civil Service Exam, obtaining a position as executive officer in the Livestock Division of the Department of Agriculture – despite the fact that she’d never been on a farm (though her summers spent working in Dublin Zoo as a teenager can be credited for her interest in animals). She left the Department of Agriculture a year later to study Veterinary in UCD. Upon graduating, Ann worked in a mixed practice in Wales, Yorkshire and Donegal, before eventually setting up her own small animal practice in Sligo town. She joined the Department of Agriculture as a vet inspector in 1992 and worked in Donegal for six years.

In 1998, Ann was appointed to the Embassy of Ireland in Madrid, Spain, as an agricultural attaché, a newly-created post at the time. In the process she moved her family (husband and four children aged two to 10 years) to Spain for four years. Not that they minded. Spain was “quite an adventure – we really loved it” she says fondly.

Ann returned to Ireland when she was appointed to Sligo DVO as superintending veterinary inspector in 2004 and remained working there until 2010. In the meantime, she completed a Masters in Agricultural Economics with Imperial College London – preparing her for the role she currently holds today. Her final step on the academic ladder was a Doctorate in Governance at Queen’s University Belfast.

At this year’s Women & Agriculture conference, Ann will be discussing the steps farming families should take to provide for successful succession planning in a timely manner, and women’s role in this process.

“I think it often falls to the mother to start the conversation about the future of the farm,” she says.

She firmly believes in the important role played by women in Irish farming and feels it’s a role that does not always get the degree of recognition it deserves. In fact, she says a negative attitude towards women sometimes still prevails in farming. This was illustrated by a recent Macra survey on succession planning. Ann will be discussing the role of women in farming at the conference, but will also place a particular emphasis on the role of women in on-farm diversification.

“Women can recognise and encourage family talent and enterprise, they also often have different and broader skillsets and are more in-tune with the needs of local communities, which means they identify business opportunities.”

“We need to celebrate women’s unique contributions more and promote greater solidarity between generations of farm women.”