Be prepared - civil food resilience in the face of change

What happens when the food system falters? From climate change and global trade disruptions to war and resource scarcity, our food supply faces increasing pressure — but how ready are we for the shocks ahead?

Join leading food policy expert Professor Tim Lang (author of Just in Case: 7 steps to narrow the UK civil food resilience gap) to explore civil food resilience — how citizens, communities, and governments can work together to build fair and sustainable systems that can withstand crisis.

Drawing on decades of research and policy experience, as well as his recent Just in Case report to the National Preparedness Commission, Lang challenges us to rethink food security not as a technical issue, but as a matter of democracy, justice, and civic responsibility. Join us to imagine what true preparedness might look like — and what role we can all play in feeding the future.

The talk will be followed by a Q&A chaired by Beth Bell (Food Ethics Council and Belfast Food Partnership).

Tim Lang is Professor Emeritus of Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London. After hill farming in Lancashire in the 1970s, he’s worked on food policy across health, environment, politics and culture. Since writing Feeding Britain (Pelican 2021), he’s focussed on the state of civil food resilience, producing the Just in Case report for the UK National Preparedness Commission, urging more attention to public preparedness for food shocks.

Beth Bell is Deputy Director of Food Ethics Council, co-chair of Belfast Food Partnership and co-founder of Carrick Greengrocers. She works across the food system to join the dots across policy, practice, relationships and networks, building equitable food futures with ethics and care.

Instagram - @BelfastFoodPartnership and @FoodEthicsCouncil