Wells Environmental Network Eco-week - Good food for all event
Sat 11 Oct, 2- 4pm, Wells Town Hall
Nutritious food, grown locally to high environmental standards, fairly priced, seasonally available and affordable to all. Hear from farmers, growers, community organisers and leaders, who are already making this happen and discuss ideas and initiatives we can take forward together: Book on eventbrite / £5. Creating a resilient, localised food system has never been more urgent!
Chaired by Stewart Crocker, with the following contributors:
- The Big Picture – Graham Harvey, journalist, agricultural commentator, and former Archers agricultural story editor
- A Farmer’s Response – Andy Wear, Mendip Hills regenerative farmers producing nutrient-dense food, wool fibre, and fuel
- A Grower’s Response – Lily O’Dowd, manager of Dairy House Farm’s Market Garden, on the realities of running a community food enterprise
- Community Action – Jill Loader (MBA), Food Resilience Project Lead, Citizens Advice Somerset, on practical engagement options
- Driving Behavioural Change – Christopher Cooke, Managing Director of “5 Deep”, on advancing regeneration through community-led change
Followed by Q&A, networking, and clear signposting for how you can get involved, this is an opportunity to move from awareness to action.
Our summary of the event:
Well done Wenvironment & coordinator Stewart for such an interesting 'Good Food for All' session. What an amazing, well-balanced line up of thought-provoking Speakers:
Graham set the scene summarising recent agricultural shifts, highlighting the importance of small mixed farms, which use methods to support the health of the soil, plants and people.
Andy, a now settled sheep farmer from Fernhill Farm - An Arcadian Place to Stay , talked us through farm-scale regenerative approaches, from mob grazing to community building.
Steve from Root Connections described their social farming project, from the plot to the people they support.
Jill gave us insights into the food challenges Somerset faces and highlighted the need for a broad range of community food solutions to meet the current challenges (images above from Jill's presentation).
Christopher challenged us to think about what underpins food systems not changing and the behaviour and systems shifts needed, giving examples of nature-based solutions to bigger problems we face.
Would be great to see this type of event across the county!