I had the amazing privilege of doing a group agricultural study abroad, visiting Belfast, Galway, Killarney, and Dublin. This experience was such an amazing time that I will always cherish, from visiting the Giant’s Causeway, Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle to local farms, and singing and dancing my heart out with my friends at the pubs. Ireland of course is a very green and beautiful place, and since our focus was on agriculture, I got to tour and learn about their systems there.

Before coming to Ireland, I thought about wellness the way many people do. I focused on ingredients, nutrients, exercise, sleep, and daily habits. While those things absolutely matter, my time studying agriculture abroad has expanded my understanding of health in a way I didn’t expect. The biggest lesson I’ve taken away is this: Wellness doesn’t begin in the kitchen. It begins in the soil.

For years, I viewed food primarily through the lens of nutrition. Was it high in protein? Did it contain healthy fats? Was it rich in vitamins and minerals? But in Ireland, I’ve spent time learning about what happens before food ever reaches our plates. I’ve learned about soil ecosystems, pasture-based farming, seasonal production, and the interconnected systems that make food possible. The more I learned, the more I realized that food quality is shaped by countless factors long before we ever take a bite.

Healthy soil creates healthy systems

One concept that continually appeared throughout my coursework was the importance of soil health. It’s easy to think of soil as simply dirt, but healthy soil is a living ecosystem. Beneath the surface exists an entire world of microorganisms, fungi, insects, roots, and organic matter working together. When soil is healthy, it supports stronger plants, greater biodiversity, and more resilient agricultural systems.

What fascinated me most was how foundational soil health is to everything else. The health of crops, animals, ecosystems, and ultimately people all trace back to the condition of the land. It made me realize that conversations about wellness often begin much later in the process than they should.

Seeing pasture-raised systems up close

Ireland is known for its lush green landscapes, but living here helped me understand why those landscapes matter. Throughout the country, pasture-based livestock systems are common. Seeing animals grazing on grass-covered fields gave me a different perspective than simply reading about these systems in a textbook.

One lesson that stood out was how interconnected these systems are. Animal health, soil health, biodiversity, and food production are not separate topics. They influence one another continuously. The quality of the land affects the quality of forage. The quality of forage affects the animals. The animals contribute to nutrient cycling within the ecosystem. Together, these relationships shape the food system as a whole.

It reminded me that agriculture is not just about producing food. It’s about managing relationships between land, plants, animals, and people.

Seasonal living feels different here

Another insight I gained was a deeper appreciation for seasonality. Before studying agriculture, seasonal eating often felt like a wellness trend. But learning about agricultural production helped me understand that seasonality reflects the natural rhythms of ecosystems. Plants have growing seasons, animals respond to environmental conditions, and agricultural systems operate within cycles that exist whether we pay attention to them or not.

Living in Ireland, where weather and landscape are such visible parts of everyday life, made these cycles feel more tangible. Rather than seeing seasonality as a restriction, I began seeing it as a form of connection.

Wellness is bigger than individual choices

Perhaps the most meaningful lesson I am taking home is that wellness extends beyond individual habits. We often think about health in terms of personal responsibility: what we eat, how we exercise, how much we sleep. Those choices matter. But my time studying agriculture has shown me that our health is also connected to larger systems.

It is connected to the health of our soils, farming practices, biodiversity, and to the environments that produce our food. Understanding these connections has made me think differently about wellness, not as a collection of isolated habits, but as part of a much larger ecosystem.

Bringing these lessons home

As my time in Ireland comes to an end, I am leaving with far more than academic knowledge. I am leaving with a new perspective. One that sees wellness not only in morning routines, workouts, and nutrition labels, but also in healthy pastures, thriving soils, seasonal cycles, and sustainable food systems.

Ireland reminded me that health is deeply interconnected. The food on our plates tells a story. And that story begins long before we sit down to eat. It begins with the land.

Image source: Jean Vella

Note: The views expressed here do not exclusively represent the views of Materia+ and its governing entities.