Michael Kelly is founder of GIY (Grow it Yourself) an emerging global community of people who grow some of their own food.
Each year GIY supports over 100,000 people to grow food for the first time at home, school, work and in the community. The organisation supports over 4,500 community food projects in Ireland, UK, Australia and Africa, running awareness programmes and events to inspire and support people to grow food. GIY is passionate about the power of food growing experiences to set people on a journey to good health and an improved understanding of food and nutrition. GIY works with partner organisations including innocent, Cully & Sully, Renault, AIB, Aramark and Bord Bia.
Michael Kelly has written three books about food – the latest of which, GROW COOK EAT, won a Gourmand Cookbook of the Year award. He has written columns on food in The Journal.ie, The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, The Evening Echo, Food & Wine Magazine and a syndicated column in over 30 local newspapers.
Michael has won awards from Ashoka, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and the Arthur Guinness Fund. He is a regular on radio and TV, credits including Nationwide, Ear to the Ground, Eco Eye, Today with Pat Kenny, The Tubridy Show, The Afternoon Show, Mooney, Ireland AM and The Last Word.
In order to dramatically increase the number of people with a deeper understanding of their food, GIY is currently developing the headquarters of the GIY movement, a food education centre called GROW HQ in Waterford, Ireland.