Áine Macken-Walsh

Senior Research Officer

Research Interests

Áine Macken-Walsh is a Senior Research Officer at Teagasc’s Rural Economy and Development Programme (REDP). She is a sociologist, using narrative and action research methodologies to explore farmers’ and other actors’ subjective values, knowledges and practices. She works in transdisciplinary contexts, addressing societal challenges relating to diverse issues such as human cooperation, gender, animal health, climate change, and the bioeconomy. Áine leads Teagasc’s Agri-Innovation and Learning (AgILe) Living Laboratory, using sociological insights and interactive methods to support multi-actor co-design of agri-food system policy and extension interventions.

Áine has been awarded over €3m in competitive research funding and has published widely. She is a former member of the Social Sciences Committee of the Royal Irish Academy and Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin.

Current Projects

2025-2028: Coordinator, Agroecology Partnership (co-funded by Horizon Europe and DAFM); Agroecological Transition of the European Dairy Farming System (TEDY) Horizon Europe Agroecology Partnership.
2024-2027: Work package leader, Sustainable Livestock Systems, Transition and Evidence Platform for Upgrading Policies (STEPUP) Horizon Europe.
2024-2027: Task leader, Beef Quest, DAFM Research Stimulus Fund.
2024-2028: PhD Research Supervisor. Exploring the Drivers of Technological Change in Smallholder Dairy Operations in Kenya. Irish Aid & Teagasc.
2023-2027: Research supervisor, Supporting farmers to co-innovate for sustainability: an action research approach to the Waters of LIFE. Waters of LIFE integrated project, EU LIFE Programme.
2022-2027: Work package leader, COREnet – Connecting Advisors toward a European Network for consumer-producer chains, Horizon Europe.

Education

2022: Women in Leadership Programme, Executive Education, DCU Business School 2008: PhD Sociology (NUI, Galway)
2003: Dip. Community Development Practice (NUI, Galway)
2002: MA Human Rights and Democratisation (Padova)
2001: BA Sociology & Political Science (NUI, Galway)

Professional Membership

Co-Chair of the Agroecology Partnership Evaluations (2026)
Member of the Secretariat of Ireland’s National Bioeconomy Forum (2004-present).
Board member of Social Sciences Research Centre (SSRC), NUI Galway (2018-present)
Member of the Social Sciences Committee of the Royal Irish Academy (2016-2019)

Publications
Students

View publications by Áine Macken-Walsh

Kelly, S., Quinn, B., Macken-Walsh, A., Moffett, S., Miller, K. (2026) Social capital development and configurations within advisory and innovation support programmes on the island of Ireland, Journal of Rural Studies, Vol. 125.
Ó Fathartaigh, Mícheál; Macken-Walsh, Áine; and Gorman, Monica (2025) Agricultural Extension in Ireland: A Century of Continuity and Change, European Journal of Food Drink and Society: Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 8.
Furmankiewicz, M., Atterton, J, Macken-Walsh, A. (2025) Neo-Endogenous Development Policy in Theory and Practice: the Strategic Objectives of Area-Based Partnerships in Poland, Geographia Polonica 2025, Volume 98, Issue 3,
Markiewicz-Keszycka, M. Macken-Walsh, A., Carter, A, Hynds, P.D. (2025) Farmers’ Experiences of Transitioning Towards Agroecology: Narratives of Change in Western Europe, Agriculture 15(6).
Lawton, T., Gorman, M., Macken-Walsh, A., Beecher, M (2024) Employment in Irish dairy production: a narrative analysis of employers and employees’ experiences in an expanding industry, Cogent Social Sciences 10 (1), July 2024
S Mooney, A Carter, P Hynds, Á Macken-Walsh, M Henchion, E.J Devereux & M Markiewicz-Kęszycka (2024) On-farm pro-environmental diversification: A qualitative analysis of narrative interviews with Western-European farmers, Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 48:1, 93 123,
Harrahill, K., Áine Macken-Walsh, Eoin O’Neill (2023) Prospects for the bioeconomy in achieving a Just Transition: perspectives from Irish beef farmers on future pathways, Journal of Rural Studies, Volume 100,
Harrahill, K. Áine Macken-Walsh, Eoin O’Neill (2023) Identifying primary producers’ positioning in the Irish bioeconomy using Social Network Analysis, Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy. Vol. 5, August 2023.
Harrahill K, Macken-Walsh Á, O’Neill E, Lennon M. (2022) An Analysis of Irish Dairy Farmers’ Participation in the Bioeconomy: Exploring Power and Knowledge Dynamics in a Multi-actor EIP-AGRI Operational Group. Sustainability. 2022; 14(19)
Gutiérrez , José and Áine Macken-Walsh (2022) Ecosystems of Collaboration for Sustainability-Oriented Innovation: The Importance of Values in the Agri-Food Value-Chain. Sustainability 14(18)
Henchion, M.M.; Regan, Á.; Beecher, M.; Macken-Walsh, Á. (2022) Developing ‘Smart’ Dairy Farming Responsive to Farmers and Consumer-Citizens: A Review (2022) Animals 2022, 12, 360.
Mulkerrins, M., Macken-Walsh, A., McAloon, C., Colclough, J., Beecher, M. (2022) Factors Influencing Farmers’ Engagement with compact calving at farm-level, Journal Of Dairy Science.
Macken-Walsh, A., Henchion, M., Regan, A. (2022) ‘Come aboard’ the systems-based approach: the role of social science in Sustainability Research & Innovation, Irish Journal of Agriculture and Food Research.

Sorcha Love (2026-2028): MSc ‘Supporting farmers to co-innovate for sustainability: an action research approach to the Waters of LIFE, Co-supervised by Prof. Jim Kinsella, School of Agricultural Science. Funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarships Scheme.

Marie Tellier (2022-2026) PhD ‘Territorial effects of agricultural innovation in the context of agricultural and food transitions, the example of Irish cheeses’, Co-supervised by Prof. Claire Delfosse, Université Lumiére de Lyon, France.

Suzanne Kelly, (2020-2024) PhD. Exploring the Value of Social Capital for Innovation within Agri-Food Business Support Networks. Primary Teagasc Supervisor, co-supervised by Prof. Barry Quinn, Dr Kristel Miller and Dr Sandra Moffett, Ulster University. Funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme.

Kieran Harrahill (2018-2022) PhD. An Actor-Oriented Approach to understanding the Bioeconomy-Society Interface in Ireland. Primary Teagasc supervisor, co-supervised by Dr Eoin O’Neill, School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin (UCD). Funded by BiOrbic Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Centre, Ireland.

Aoife Forde (2018-completed). MSc. Facilitating rural communities to create enterprise opportunities using a participatory process developed by SKIN – Short Food Supply Chain Knowledge and Innovation Network. Primary Teagasc Supervisor. Co-supervised by Dr

Monica Gorman, School of Agriculture, UCD. Co-funded by SKIN H2020 and Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme.

Thomas Lawton (2018-2021). PhD.An evaluation of work organisation and human resource management within Irish dairy farm businesses, secondary Teagasc co-supervisor, with Dr Brendan Horan, Dr Marion Beecher and Páidi Kelly AGRIP, Teagasc Moorepark and university supervisor Dr Karina Pierce and Dr Monica Gorman, School of Agricultural Science, University College Dublin. Funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme.

Justine Deming (2014- completed 2018) Management of labour tasks and resources to maximize labour productivity, sustainability, and dairy farm profitability, co-supervised by Dr Bernadette O’Brien, AGRIP, Teagasc, Moorepark and Dr Jim Phelan School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin. Funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme.

Conor McAloon (2013- completed 2017) Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Management Programmes for the control of Johne’s Disease in Irish Dairy Herds, co-supervised by Dr Paul Whyte, Prof. Michael Doherty, School of Agriculture, UCD. Funded by the Research Stimulus Fund (RSF) of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland.

Teresa Hooks (2013 – completed 2017) A Governance approach to enhancing Farm Viability: the potential of Co-operatives (working title) co-supervised by Dr Olive McCarthy and Prof. Michael Ward, Centre for Cooperative Studies, UCC. Funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme.

Patricia O’Flynn (2012 – completed 2016) From Knowledge to Invention: Exploring User Innovation in Irish Agriculture, co-supervised by Dr Chris High, Prof. Andy Lane, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, School of Engineering & Innovation, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. Co-funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme and the Open University, UK.

Catherine Seale (2012 – completed, 2016) Learning How to Inform Extension Practices Related to Mandatory Agri-Environmental Policy, co-supervised by Dr Chris High, Prof. Andy Lane, Dr Martin Reynolds, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, School of Engineering & Innovation Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. Co-funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme and the Open University, UK.

Roberta McDonald (2010 – completed, 2013) The evolution of dairy farming systems in Ireland with specific emphasis on the impact of technological adoption among existing and new entrant dairy farmers (working title) co-supervised by Dr Brendan Horan, Moorepark Dairy Production Research Centre, Teagasc and Dr Karina Pierce, School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine. Co-funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme and Allied Irish Bank (AIB).

Tanya Watson (2008 – 2018) Women’s Narratives – from ‘Rural Women’ to ’Women in the Countryside’? Investigating Women’s Subjectivities, Identities, and Agency for Sustainable Rural Development (working title) co-supervised by Dr Anne Byrne, Dr Nata Duvvury, School of Political Science and Sociology, NUI, Galway. Funded by Teagasc’s Walsh Scholarship Scheme.