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Connecting Over Fair Food

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A nourishing evening among Fair Food champions. Explore making food systems more sustainable and resilient, in your own backyard.

The annual Connecting Over Fair Food event is aimed at hearing from those who are actively working within our food system as well as exploring ideas around building food resilience in our community.  

The theme for this year is ‘Know, Share, Grow’ and our focus is on the steps we can take as a community. From making food choices that improve both our health and that of our food system, to not letting sustainable habits fall by the wayside, we all have a role to play. 

Local Speakers

  • Manu from Farm it Forward, a not-for-profit urban farming social enterprise model connecting landowners and local young people who are passionate about growing food. The project fosters youth and community mental health, develops skills, training and job opportunities, while tackling social isolation and increasing community wellbeing.
  • Suzy & Sarah from FOODTALKS Illawarra, which is an informal group of growers, producers, advocates, culture guides, picklers, bakers, retailers, chefs and home cooks who share a passion for delicious, fair food in our region. Whether we are aware of it or not, by eating, we all actively participate in the food system every day. We each bring our own individual levels of knowledge and value systems to the way we navigate the food system - through buying, growing, making or trading food. FoodTalks Illawarra holds panel discussion style events every couple of months featuring local food heroes talking about different aspects of the food system in our area, such as growing, retail, production. We gather, sip home-made soup, listen, chat and share ideas.
  • Narelle from A Garden For Life, who is a garden designer and horticulturist who specialises in native gardens and permaculture design, with a passion about creating ‘living’ spaces that are nurturing, productive and sustainable 

Snack on Civic Square Cafe's canapés

Included in your ticket is a selection of canapés provided by the Civic Square Café! They are based within the Civic Centre and work hard to source premium ingredients and cook everything from scratch with love. If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know when registering for your ticket.

Join the crop swap

A basket with fresh leaves sits in front of a painting of a pair of hands, holding fresh leaves. On top of the painting is a 2 piece sign, piece 1 says crop, while piece 2 says swap. All of this is sitting on a table covered in hessian

Crop swaps are a great way to build local community, reduce food waste and eat better, for less. We are calling on all backyard, verge and balcony growers to bring along anything surplus to swap! Think of a glut of garden greens or excess mulberries, maybe you have a bay leaf tree or rosemary that can benefit from a trim, or you have herbs almost coming out of your ears. Anything edible is welcome to be shared!

Stay for a special screening of Rachel’s Farm 

In this triumphant film, where director and actress Rachel Ward voyages from her own wilful ignorance about the ecological impacts of conventional agriculture, to championing a movement to restore the health of our farmland, food and climate and in doing so the wellbeing of the farming communities that sustain the nation, and ourselves.

Watch the trailer to get a glimpse of what’s in store! 

Partnerships for the goals (SDG17: Zero Hunger)

This event is organised as part of Global Climate Change Week by Food Fairness Illawarra, in partnership with Shellharbour City Council, Wollongong City Council, Kiama Municipal Council, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, University of Wollongong and Healthy Cities Illawarra.

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