Founded in 2008, GIY supports people around the world to live healthier, happier and more sustainable lives by growing some of their own food. Our mission is to educate and enable a global movement of food growers whose collective actions will help to rebuild a sustainable food system. We are a proud non-profit social enterprise working in Ireland, UK and USA from our base in Waterford, with reach globally through our partnerships, media and advocacy work. By 2030, GIY aims to inspire over 100 million people to grow, cook and eat some of their own food at home, school, work and in the community. Around 1 million people currently grow their own food each year through a GIY programme and our TV series Grow, Cook, Eat and Food Matters have been seen by over 12 million people around the world on Amazon Prime and RTE.
About Us
The Garlic Story
In the early 2000’s founder of GIY Mick Kelly (at that time working in IT) was shopping in his local supermarket and about to buy a 90-cent bulb of garlic. But he paused when he read the label: “Product of China”. Staring at that garlic, which had been on an epic 5,000-mile journey, was a pivotal moment in Mick’s life. He left the supermarket and immediately set about growing his own garlic, beginning a lifetime’s passion for food growing and food system change. And so began the story of GIY.
Our Mission
Our Vision
The Global Food Issue
Food production is responsible for almost a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, while habitat loss from allocating land for food production is the main driver of biodiversity loss. Globally more than 690 million people remain undernourished, while diet is the leading cause of mortality in the developed world. So, what we eat matters and how it is grown and produced matters even more. According to EAT Lancet report, the SDG’s can’t be achieved unless we change how we produce and consume food.
Decade of Action
GIY are proud to align our mission, vision and impact with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In response to the urgency of the climate crisis, and in line with the UN Decade of Action, our ambition at GIY is to inspire 100 million people around the world to grow some of their own food by 2030.
Behaviour Change
Our research shows that Food Growers naturally adopt some of the most profound planet friendly behaviour changes in their lives on their Food Empathy journey, such as:
- Eat more plants
- End food waste
- Support small producers
- Stop food pollution
- Connect with nature
Food Empathy
Our research shows that when people grow their own food it shifts their knowledge, attitudes and behaviour around food. It empowers them to make healthier and more sustainable choices. We call this Food Empathy. We envision a world where all food is produced, distributed and consumed in a manner that is healthy for our planet and its people.