The impact of horticulture on human physical and mental health will be the theme for this year’s Chartered Institute of Horticulture conference in Dublin next month (13-14 October).

Staged at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dublin Airport (Northwood, pictured), it’s the first time the conference has been held in Ireland.

CIH President, Dr Owen Doyle CHort FCIHort, said that as the institute represented professional horticulturists in both Great Britain and Ireland, it was high time the conference was held in Ireland. “We will have the opportunity to listen to experts and visit industry sites demonstrating excellence in horticulture; in the era of Brexit it is essential to maintain strong links with colleagues and businesses within the EU,” he said.

Conference topics will also explore how to maintain a healthy horticulture business and implement succession planning for future generations.

“Plants are essential for human life on this planet; their cultivation is what horticulturists do!,” Dr Doyle said. “In addition to providing the oxygen we breathe, the foods we eat and the medicines we need, they also give us the beautiful, healthy environments in which we live and work.”

Highlighting the importance of health and horticulture, microbiologist Dr Fiona Crispie, technologist at Teagasc and the APC Microbiome Institute, will discuss ‘You are what you eat: the microbiome and health’.

Caroline Keeling will present the James Bruce Memorial Lecture: Growing with passion to meet consumer needs. Caroline, chair of Bord Bia’s Horticultural Board and a member of the Export Trade Council, is a prominent figure campaigning for jobs implementation in Ireland, supporting women for election, and many more just causes.

Representing the amenity sector will be director of Out There Services Steven Thompson. A market leader in the UK grounds maintenance and landscaping sector, he will discuss careers in horticulture’.

The two-day event features a full day of talks on the Friday, with a gala dinner in the evening, followed the next morning with visits to leading mushroom grower and growing media businesses, as well as an award-winning arboretum.

Find out more about who will be joining the programme and book your ticket online here.