2026 Exe-X South West Alumnae Group lecture with Dr Aoife Maher

Tuesday, 03 November 2026 at 17:30

Exe-X South West Alumnae Group Women in Research lecture with Dr Aoife Maher

Event details

A land of kale and cauliflowers? Exploring the history, contemporary production and future prospects for commercial fruit and vegetable growing in South West England

Join Dr Aoife Maher, researcher at the Centre for Rural Policy Research at the University of Exeter, as she takes us on a journey through the changes in fruit and vegetable production in the Westcountry since the 1930s. Drawing on archival sources, including the records of the Dartington Hall Estate’s Greencrops experiment and wartime records from the National Archives, she will bring past, field-scale horticultural cropping into focus and explore how the prevailing climate, Government policy and changing relationships between grower and markets have all served to change the mix of horticultural crops grown and sold from the farms and fields of Devon and Cornwall.

After the talk there will be a Q&A session.

There is no charge for this event and refreshments will be provided; tickets are available here.

If you have any questions or specific requirements, please email alumni@exeter.ac.uk

Please note: If you require additional information with regards to venue accessibility (facilities, step-free routes, parking etc), please contact us at alumni@exeter.ac.uk and we will source this for you to ensure you are able to make an informed decision about booking. We are also happy to reserve a place for you provisionally, until access requirements are confirmed.

Organiser

Alumni and supporters

Location

The Devon and Exeter Institution, 7 Cathedral Close, Exeter, EX1 1EZ