Blue Mountains 2026 Food Security Fair

Agenda

• 9:00 am - 10:00 am

  Wild edibles foraging workshop - Diego Bonetto

  Cost: $20 You will never look at weeds in the same way again after taking part in this workshop. Join wild food expert Diego Bonetto on a 1 hour stroll in the park and learn about the most common edible and medicinal plants that surround us all. This workshop will give insights into the abundance of edibles thriving in the colder months of the year. Typical species we will talk about include: chickweed, dandelion, sowthistle, ironweed, flatweed, farmers friends and peppercress. Diego is an edible weeds advocate based in Lithgow, most famous for his foraging workshops. Building on the knowledge acquired while growing up on a farm in Italy, Diego introduces people to the ever-present food and medicine plants that surround us. Take a walk in the park and discover the abundance of native and non native edibles to be found underfoot. You will learn local stories of plant resilience woven with cultural trivia, migrant perspectives and native wisdom. We will discuss the role weeds play in repairing and building soil and you will find out how they have been used for food, craft and natural remedies. Most importantly, you will discover ways to safely harvest from your surroundings and enrich your diet with vitamins and minerals. This workshop is designed to provide participants with solid skills on plant identification, re-learning old stories while paying respect to public and ancient resources.

• 9:45 am - 10:00 am

  Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country - Uncle Lex

• 10:00 am - 10:10 am

  Welcome Address - Blue Mountains City Council

• 10:15 am - 11:00 am

  Headline talk | The Age of Renewable Food - how we can feed everyone, bring peace and end extinction - Julian Cribb AM

  Cost: $15 As the world's population grows and environmental pressures intensify, how can we produce enough food without further degrading the planet? In this thought-provoking presentation, Julian Cribb AM explores the concept of renewable food—a transformative approach to food production that, like renewable energy, works in harmony with natural systems. Drawing on decades of research and writing, Julian will examine how recycling water and nutrients, reducing dependence on topsoil, synthetic fertilisers and toxic chemicals, and expanding sustainable food production across cities, regional landscapes and the oceans could provide secure food supplies for future generations while protecting Earth's life-support systems. The session will also consider the global consequences of failing to transform our food systems, including increasing risks of famine, conflict, mass displacement and declining environmental resilience. Offering both a compelling warning and an optimistic vision, this presentation challenges audiences to rethink how humanity can feed itself within the limits of a finite planet. About Julian Cribb AM Julian Cribb AM is an Australian science writer, journalist and author who has spent more than 50 years communicating science, agriculture, climate and global sustainability issues. He is the author of several influential books, including The Coming Famine (2010), Food or War (2019) and How to Fix a Broken Planet (2023), which explore the future of food systems, planetary health and humanity's long-term survival. A former Director of National Awareness for CSIRO and past president of the Australian Science Communicators, Julian was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to conservation and the environment through science communication. He is widely recognised as one of Australia's leading voices on global food security and sustainable development.

• 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

  Kids activities - rock painting, crafts and story time

  Join Johanna Davies and Cathryn Ferreira in the Kids Corner of the marquee for fruit and veggie focused kids activities, available throughout the day.

• 10:30 am - 11:30 am

  How to avoid food waste - BMCC

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) Want to learn how you could save up to $1,000 per year by simply planning and making clever choices when buying food, and using leftovers? Then this workshop is for you!

• 11:00 am - 11:45 am

  How to garden in a footpath verge and how to get approvals - Michael Mobbs, CoolSeat & Sustainable House

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) Let’s have a conversation about how to grow community and gardens at once? We can discuss how I used my 19 years of practicing law and policy, experience as a City Councillor, and a one page policy by which anyone may garden in the footpaths of Sydney City Council made in collaboration with the community and Sydney City Council. Engagement: Bring photos of your footpath so we can get into the practical specifics long with the red tape.

• 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

  Wild edibles foraging workshop - Diego Bonetto

  Cost: $20 You will never look at weeds in the same way again after taking part in this workshop. Join wild food expert Diego Bonetto on a 1 hour stroll in the park and learn about the most common edible and medicinal plants that surround us all. This workshop will give insights into the abundance of edibles thriving in the colder months of the year. Typical species we will talk about include: chickweed, dandelion, sowthistle, ironweed, flatweed, farmers friends and peppercress. Diego is an edible weeds advocate based in Lithgow, most famous for his foraging workshops. Building on the knowledge acquired while growing up on a farm in Italy, Diego introduces people to the ever-present food and medicine plants that surround us. Take a walk in the park and discover the abundance of native and non native edibles to be found underfoot. You will learn local stories of plant resilience woven with cultural trivia, migrant perspectives and native wisdom. We will discuss the role weeds play in repairing and building soil and you will find out how they have been used for food, craft and natural remedies. Most importantly, you will discover ways to safely harvest from your surroundings and enrich your diet with vitamins and minerals. This workshop is designed to provide participants with solid skills on plant identification, re-learning old stories while paying respect to public and ancient resources.

• 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

  Growing together: community permaculture in action - Jen Hall, Permaculture Matters

  Cost: $10 Join this engaging, hands-on workshop at the Blue Mountains Food security Fair, facilitated by Jen Hall. This session invites you to explore permaculture as a living practice of community resilience—where growing food is as much about people as it is about plants. Rather than focusing on doing it all alone, this workshop opens up practical and inspiring ways to build shared systems of growing, learning, and exchanging within your local neighbourhood. In this embodied workshop, you will have fun while discovering: - The three ethics of permaculture and how they shape everyday decision-making - How to move from isolated effort to collaborative food growing systems, including neighbourhood sharing: seeds, plants, produce, and knowledge - Ways to build local resilience through relationships, not just resources Expect the beginnings of real connections that can continue beyond the Fair. Leave with a clearer sense of how permaculture can be lived collectively—and how growing food together can become a pathway to stronger, more connected communities.

• 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

  Designing your own Permaculture Property - Leni Nyssen, Alchemy Farms

  Cost: $40 Are you interested in creating a resilient, abundant home garden and community? Do you dream of growing and raising your own food, creating habitat for wildlife, having an eco-friendly home and strong community bonds? Through intelligent design, we can work with nature to create systems that are integrated and abundant. Who is this workshop for? - People dreaming of greater self-sufficiency - New landowners wanting to design their property well from the beginning - Gardeners ready to move beyond beds into whole-system thinking - Anyone considering a professional permaculture design No prior experience is necessary. Please bring images of your current garden and ideas of how you want to develop it.

• 11:30 am - 1:30 pm

  Waste Free Feasting - Christy Hartlage

  Cost: $30 Using rescued food and food from the Planetary Health veggie garden, we will discuss how to use food with minimal waste, and how to use up the sad vegetables in your fridge. We will have a selection of food harvested from the garden and rescued food to cook during the session. The cooked food will then be shared between the group to enjoy. This session is youth focused, but parents are welcome to purchase a ticket also.

• 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm

  Food Security for native animals - Tracy Burgess, WIRES

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) Discover how your garden can help support local wildlife with Tracy Burgess from WIRES. Learn which native plants provide essential food and habitat, with practical examples and live plant specimens to inspire a more wildlife-friendly garden.

• 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm

  Old Man Saltbush as part of protein diversification for food security in the 21st Century - Anne Elliot

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) Imagine being able to grow your own protein – even in in a pot! You can with Old Man Saltbush, which contains as much protein as soybeans and is high in amino acids. In a world where meat consumption has trebled over the last 50 years while our population has doubled and another at least 70% more meat is needed by 2050, our global community has a huge food security issue: Especially in this era of climate emergency with erratic weather conditions. Currently 40% of grain grown in Australia is fed to livestock. Chicken meat, the most widely consumed meat in this country, inefficiently requires 9 calories of feed to produce 1 calorie of chicken meat. Pivoting to plant-based proteins, plant-based meat, cultivated (slaughter-free meat) and indeed eating more vegetables become critical elements of protein diversification to help feed the world. In this talk participants will get an opportunity to get up “close and personal” with Old Man Saltbush, by touching, tasting, this ancient plant - fresh and dried. Anne will also give cooking tips and simple instructions on how to dry and create a fine flour/salt at home.

• 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

  How to worm farm - BMCC

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) Are you interested in learning how to worm Farm? Then this workshop is for you! No space for a compost bin and not sure where or how to start? Then this workshop is for you! Worm farming is not only ideal for small spaces and small families, the worm soil and worm liquid produced by the worms are great for returning valuable nutrients to the soil. During this interactive workshop you'll have a go at making your own homemade worm farm too.

• 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

  Designing for water-security - Sarah Daniel and Derek Johnson

  Join Permaculture teachers and designers, Sarah Daniel and Derek Johnson, for a permaculture design skills share on water security. Water is foundational to all of life. We will look at how to restore the small water cycle and regenerate land for more abundance and food security.

• 1:00 pm - 1:15 pm

  Plant-based cheese tasting - Teya Brooks-Pribac, Plant Inspired

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated)

• 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm

  Bees and beekeeping: the highlights - Louise Redmond, Fifi's Bees

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) Louise is a local beekeeper and co-trainer for the one day course 'Beekeeping for Beginners' with Fiona Hasselman of Fifi's Bees. In this session Louise will share insights into the life of a beekeeper, and why we love bees. She will explain the ups and downs of looking after these fascinating pollinators. This session will interest anyone who wants to learn more about beekeeping and the life of bees, and perhaps go on to set up a hive themselves.

• 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

  Utilising what's in front of you - Uncle Lex, The Ganya Shed

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) Join Dharug Elder Uncle Lex for an engaging session exploring the value of recognising, respecting and utilising the natural resources that already exist around us. Drawing on his work with the Ganya Shed in Wentworth Falls and the Shadow Rangers, Uncle Lex will share insights into native plants, traditional knowledge, and practical approaches to living more sustainably by reconnecting with Country.

• 2:00 pm - 2:20 pm

  From food scraps to food security: Understanding FOGO and the power of composting - Rob Morrison, BMCC

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) What FOGO is, how it works, the benefits for our community, and why home composting remains the best option when possible.

• 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

  The importance of bioregions in uncertain times - Rowe Morrow, Permaculture Matters

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) What is a bioregion, and why is it becoming increasingly important in a changing world? In this session, permaculture pioneer Rowe Morrow will explore what defines a bioregion and the role it plays in supporting food, water, energy, housing and community resilience. The presentation will examine the challenges facing bioregions, the ethics and principles that underpin their management, and the work already underway in the Blue Mountains, including the region's draft bioregional inventory. The session will conclude with recommendations and practical next steps for building a prosperous and resilient bioregion for the future.

• 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

  Home Canning & Food Preservation Workshop - Kirsty Berté, Permaculture Hawkesbury Valley

  Cost: $50 Take control of your food, reduce waste, and learn one of the most valuable food security skills you can have. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll discover how to safely preserve fresh, seasonal produce so you can enjoy it long after harvest. Whether you’re interested in building a more resilient pantry, making the most of homegrown produce, or learning traditional food preservation techniques, this workshop will give you the knowledge and confidence to get started. During this workshop you’ll learn how to: - Safely preserve food using both water bath and pressure canning methods. - Understand the difference between preserving high-acid and low-acid foods. - Preserve seasonal produce to enjoy year-round while reducing food waste. - Create shelf-stable foods that are free from unnecessary preservatives. This interactive session includes both an informative presentation and practical, hands-on experience. Each participant will pressure can their own jar of carrots to take home while learning the science behind safe food preservation. You’ll also receive a comprehensive take-home booklet packed with the information covered during the workshop, along with recipes and practical guidance to help you confidently continue canning at home. Perfect for home gardeners, homesteaders, families, beginners, and anyone interested in food security, self-sufficiency, and sustainable living. All equipment and ingredients are provided. Simply bring yourself and leave with a valuable lifelong skill and your own preserved jar to take home.

• 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

  Care Through Food: facilitating just food systems transitions - Manu Prigioni, Farm It Forward

  Cost: Free (donations appreciated) How might growing, sharing and preparing fresh food become a pathway for more just and caring food systems? This presentation explores Care Through Food as an emerging social design framework developed through PhD research investigating youth-oriented civic fresh food Initiatives across Australia. Drawing on observations from community food projects and participatory action research with young people, the presentation examines how everyday food practices can foster belonging, agency, ecological stewardship and collective wellbeing. Rather than focusing solely on food production, Care Through Food considers the social conditions that enable people to feel that they matter—to themselves, to others and to the places they inhabit. Using Manfred Max-Neef's Human Scale Development alongside care ethics and transition design, the presentation explores how food-based practices can move beyond addressing immediate needs to creating the conditions for long-term socio-environmental transformation. Participants will be introduced to practical examples from Farm It Forward's youth programs and invited to consider how care-centred approaches to food can contribute to more equitable, regenerative and resilient communities.