Exploring Cork’s agri-food social entrepreneurial ecosystem

This report presents the results of a ten-month mapping exercise of the social entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cork’s agri-food sector, conducted by University College Cork and funded through Research Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. The study combined desk research, focus groups, semistructured interviews, case studies, and a multi-stakeholder event. The findings show that Cork’s agri-food social entrepreneurial ecosystem can be characterised as nascent but promising. A small and diverse group of social enterprises and community initiatives is active across food production, redistribution, retail, and education.
These initiatives demonstrate high levels of community engagement, volunteerism, and innovation, and are supported by a range of local and national support organisations. At the same time, the ecosystem is constrained by fragmented support structures, limited access to appropriate infrastructure, complex regulatory environments, and low levels of public awareness of social entrepreneurship and food system dynamics. The analysis highlights three key roles played by social enterprises within Cork’s agri-food system: addressing social needs and promoting inclusion; driving innovation and supporting sustainable practices; and the emerging potential to provide enabling infrastructure and shared resources. Drawing on these findings, the report proposes four strategic pathways to strengthen the ecosystem: (1) strengthening local networks, (2) signposting and enhancing entrepreneurial supports, (3) informing action and raising awareness, and (4)
expanding space and capacity for experimentation.
Together, these pathways aim to improve connectivity, reduce fragmentation, enhance capacity, and create the conditions for socially driven innovation. The report also outlines a long-term vision for the development of a local food hub as a focal point for collaboration, experimentation, and knowledge exchange. Strengthening Cork’s social entrepreneurial ecosystem is presented not as a single intervention, but as a cumulative process of aligned actions capable of supporting initiatives that strive for a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable local food system.