Inishowen seminar urges communities to rethink food systems from the ‘ground up’

‘Look at what is available around you’ ... ‘Start now and give it time’ ..... ‘Build seed banks’ ..... ‘Make changes from the bottom up.’

These were just some of the powerful messages shared with attendees at the 13th annual Changemakers Donegal seminar, held at An Grianan Hotel in Burt.

With the theme of ‘Just Food’ leading the agenda, the event brought together local people, community group representatives, adult education facilitators and food producers to explore how food justice, sustainability, and local action can shape a fairer and more resilient food system in Donegal and beyond.

The seminar featured an engaging panel discussion featuring regenerative farmer Brendan Guinan, nutritionist Katherine Kelly, author and seed sovereignty advocate Clare O’Grady Walshe and Funke Egberongbe, chef and owner of FUNKÉ Afro-Caribbean Restaurant in Sligo.

Speakers emphasized the importance of reconnecting with local food sources, promoting biodiversity through practices like seed saving, and building community-led food systems from the ground up.

Myra McAuliffe, project co-ordinator with ChangeMakers Donegal, said with our own history of famine in Ireland they believed it was important to take a topic like food to highlight the global system and to discuss what can be done about it at a local level.

Similarly, ChangeMakers Donegal founding member Patsy Toland and chair of the panel discussion on the day, said the issue of food has ‘gone beyond local to a global market’.

“We need to make positive changes, we have done it before so it can be done again,” said Patsy.

Regenerative farmer Brendan told his story of how he started his farm Fiorbha Farm in the middle of a forest in Portlaoise to provide food for his family. He now provides food and meat to more than 500 families and businesses across the country from his 100% pesticide-free farm.

“My family was the driving force behind Fiorbha Farm – I never thought it would become a business,” Brendan told the seminar in Burt.

“We are 100% chemical free all the time – the true regeneration is in the soil. I think a lot of farmers have lost their connection with food, most don’t even eat their own produce.”

“There can be a lot of pressure to get it out as fast as possible, but we need to go back to the smaller family-run farms which care about the food,” continued Brendan.

“Start now, give it time, but the right foundation and it will just take off.”

Nutritionist Katherine Kelly, of Renua Nutrition in Derry, also challenged people to make changes from ‘the bottom up’.

“Within the food system, making changes from the top down is difficult because big food companies often fund food campaigns; the change needs to come from the bottom up,” she said.

“Learn to read food labels and really look at what you are eating and then when you go out and do your food shopping, see what changes you can make today.”

Meanwhile, Funke Egberongbe recounted how the covid-19 pandemic inspired her to innovate. With limited access to Nigerian ingredients, she turned to Irish producers to recreate traditional dishes.

“During this time I was forced to look around me in Sligo and see what I could use to recreate my Nigerian food,” said Funke.

“I looked inward and started sourcing things from local producers in Ireland, and that was the beginning of something exciting.”

Funke now has a popular restaurant in Sligo and supplies her Afro-Caribbean cooking sauce called ‘Jollof Sauce’ to Supervalu.

“For immigrants it can be heard when you don’t have access to the food from your heritage and you think you can’t make it in Ireland but I challenge you to try and you will see that it is just as good as home - it also reduces your carbon footprint and cuts the global supply chain,” added Funke.

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Clare O’Grady Walshe, author of Globalisation and Seed Sovereignty in Sub-Saharan Africa, called on people to build seed banks and highlighted the issues around seed sovereignty.

“Four companies control 60% of the world’s seeds,” said Clare.

“There is a real problem out there at the minute – the food system is broken. But we can take action today by building seed banks and taking back control of our seeds.”

The seminar also featured a workshop, which gave those in attendance the chance to ask questions of the panel members before finishing up with a beautiful meal with locally-sourced Dexter beef and locally-grown vegetables.