Event
Bioregional Banquet
You are warmly invited to a Bioregional Banquet, a unique evening bringing together farmers, food producers and people from across South Devon working to provide food - for everyone. This is not a banquet marked by indulgence and privilege. It is a celebration for the people of this land and sea; a gathering to honour our place and the hard work of those who care for it.
Cultivating common ground for the future of food
Enjoy a good meal showcasing the breadth of South Devon’s produce, connect with your neighbours, and hear perspectives from others in the region - some familiar, others less so. Whether you bring food onto our plates, maintain its vital role in our economy, or (like all of us) eat it and enjoy it, your voice and experience are vital in shaping a food system that nourishes both people and planet. The work of providing food is changing. As the ground shifts beneath us, ecologically, socially, and economically, we are called to come together to find new ways forward.
This event is for you if you are involved in (for example):
- Farming; arable, pastoral, mixed, subsistence, commercial, organic, Dartmoor hill farming
- Fishing, aquaculture & coastal management
- Food production, retail
- Hospitality, care, ecotourism
- Food waste, packaging innovation, agri-tech
- Policymaking
- Education & the arts
- Community fridges, community composting
At the heart of this gathering is a shared commitment to climate adaptation and resilience. It is for anyone who feels the impact of a shifting food landscape and wants to be part of shaping what comes next.
BLC is offering highly subsidised tickets on a sliding scale: £50, £35 and £15. Please pay what you are able to afford, and we welcome additional donations to help cover the costs of this event.
Key information
Why this event?
South Devon is rich in food culture and in the people who bring it to life. But the systems that support them are under stress from market pressures and policy uncertainty, and especially from climate breakdown. This evening provides an opportunity to pause and consider food security and adaptation - our food futures - in the company of those who feel equally overwhelmed at times, those who tend, gather, farm, fish, research, or work in managed landscapes, restoration, or in a variety of occupations at sea.
- How are all these livelihoods connected?
- What characterizes the food systems here in South Devon?
- What’s working? What’s not?
- And where might we act differently, together, in adapting to climate breakdown?
It’s about breaking bread, listening to each other and seeing potential in a practical, joined-up, resilient food system.
What inspired the Banquet?
A Sardinian tradition called La Rasgioni offers communities a way to hear different sides of a story over a shared meal. Through storytelling and conversation, we’ll explore the realities and pressures faced by those who care for our land and sea. Together, we’ll consider where we might find common ground and shared purpose, with the help of a community 'judge' and 'jury' selected at random on the night and roaming facilitators. It will be a fun evening!
What could this gathering lead to?
This event acknowledges the challenges faced by those upholding traditional foodways and livelihoods, young farmers needing land, tenant farmers approaching retirement, food businesses dealing with rising sourcing, production and transportation costs - with all of us seeing water and soil quality issues, biodiversity loss and shrinking portions or empty shop shelves.
BLC is incubating 'South Devon’s Bioregional Action Plan for Nature and Climate.' A key focus area is food production and food culture. Collective learning from the Banquet will feed directly into this work.
What could come next:
- Collective proposals that attract funding or pilot support
- Trialling democratic community decision making, not just dialogue
- A shift in how we think about food and climate and new measures for progress
- Momentum for a strong, collective regional food identity, not just marketing
- New relationships, ideas, and possibilities
- A visible shift toward more democratic, resilient food organising in South Devon.