Before returning for his second year in the Master of Public Affairs program at the LBJ School, Dylan Driscoll (MPAff '27) is spending his summer in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary, Ireland, gaining hands-on experience in sustainable food and agriculture policy.
Driscoll is interning with two sustainable food organizations, Cultivate and Talamh Beo, where he helps research and write policy recommendations related to food systems and agriculture. His projects include finding ways to strengthen local food economies, supporting more sustainable farming practices, and researching how history continues to shape agriculture in Ireland today.
This experience has allowed him to apply what he's learned in the classroom to real-world policy challenges.
Driscoll's interest in food policy comes from more than a decade of professional experience in retail, distribution, waste, and anti-hunger programs. While he joined LBJ with a strong understanding of food access issues, he wanted to learn more about agriculture firsthand, making Ireland the ideal place to do that.
With guidance from LBJ School faculty members, including Raj Patel, Erin Lentz and Kate Weaver, Driscoll learned about Talamh Beo from Patel, a food systems expert, before reaching out to the organization himself.
Source : utexas.edu