Wells Food Network is a partnership of organisations and people who are passionate about celebrating healthy, sustainable, affordable food for all. Our vision is for a vibrant food culture in Wells and its surrounding towns, villages and countryside that is:
​
  • good for people
  • good for communities
  • good for the planet

Join us in making Wells and the area an example of excellence in healthy, sustainable, delicious local food! 

News and events

We have to change what we eat and how we farm: devastating climate report from IPCC

Global warming is damaging the land's ability to sustain humanity through increased droughts, soil erosion and wildfires, and this will worsen as temperatures continue to rise.

Urgent change in what we eat and how we obtain our food is needed, both to address climate change and also to ensure that we can feed the world's growing population. 

That is the conclusion of a landmark report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It was also the subject of a lively meeting of Sustainable Wells and Wells Food Network members in Wells on August 12.

As well as discussing the report, members also heard from organic beef farmer Simon Dennis, Amy Willoughby of Plotgate CSA (community supported agriculture) and Kim Robinson of Somerset Community Food and Somerset Local Food.

The report, published on August 8, 2019,  is the first comprehensive look at the whole land-climate system by the IPCC, the UN body charged with assessing the science related to climate change. 

It concludes that while the burning of fossil fuels is still the greatest contributor to carbon emissions, agriculture, food production and deforestation are major drivers of climate change, with around 23%-33% of the world's ice-free land surface currently used to produced food, feed, fibre, timber or energy. 

The crisis laid out in the report

Land use is responsible for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions: half are due to destruction of forests and half to farming. Since 1961, global population growth and changing patterns of consumption have resulted in an unprecedented increase in our use of land and water. This has led to:
  • ​A huge growth in net greenhouse gas emissions
  • Loss of natural ecosystems (forests, savannahs, wetlands and natural grasslands)
  • Massive decline in biodiversity
  • Doubling of meat consumption since 1961
  • Huge growth in emissions from cattle
  • Widespread destruction of forests – 10 billion trees are lost each year
  • Significant increase in soil erosion caused by intensive farming practices:
    • Soil is being lost over 100 times faster than it is being created in ploughed areas and 10-20 times faster even on fields that are not tilled.

Menu for a warming planet

The IPCC report makes it clear that drastic action in what we eat and how we obtain our food is needed. Key messages include:

Reduce meat and dairy consumption. In particular, avoid intensively reared meat and dairy. 
  • The IPCC says there is still a need for grass-fed livestock as part of sustainable land management.
  • Also, maintaining grasslands undisturbed preserves their ability to store carbon: soil has twice as much carbon as is present in the atmosphere and three times that of vegetation.
Move to a more plant-based diet. In particular, prioritise sustainable farming systems that conserve the soil. 
  • The IPCC says that intensive farming practices such as heavy tilling, multiple harvests and abundant use of agrochemicals are causing soil erosion.
Reduce food waste.
  • The IPCC says 25-33% of all food is lost.
Eat locally, eat seasonally.
  • Eating locally produced, seasonal food reduces food miles and supports your community.
Preserve what we've already got.
  • It is critical that we stop the destruction of forest, peatlands and wetlands, which store huge amounts of carbon and can absorb more if left undisturbed.

Taste the Landscape, Somerset's first food trail, is a roaring success 

"We just wanted to say a huge thank you for a fabulous day. It was great to see your smallholding and the workshop was excellent." 
– Linda and Lou, on Dragon Willow Farm's sausage making workshop
We are delighted by the success of our first ever Somerset Food Trail, Taste the Landscape.  Feedback shows that the Food Trail, has been a great success with both visitors and the participating venues.

Taste the Landscape was organised by Wells Food Network and other organisations behind  Taste the Landscape, including Reimagining The Levels, Somerset Community Food, Somerset Local Food Direct, Green Wedmore, and Sustainable Wells.

The aim was to celebrate the best of locally produced, delicious and sustainable food, and to promote Somerset food and farming. Modelled on arts trails such as Somerset Art Works, the food trail saw farmers and food producers, as well as pubs and restaurants, opening their doors to the public at set times over the 10 day period. Participating venues ranged from goat farms to cheese makers and from vegetable growers to smokeries.

This first food trail focused mainly on Mendip and surrounding areas, from Wells, Wookey and Wedmore to Shepton Mallet, Bruton and the Brue Valley. Participants were mostly small-scale farmers or producers. More details at: www.somersetfoodtrail.uk.

Quarter of honey contaminated with pesticides

A quarter of British honey is contaminated with bee-harming pesticides, according to new research. Astonishing as this sounds, this is less than previous studies have shown but it reveals that the partial ban on neonicotinoids is not working, say activists. 

Diet can reverse type 2 diabetes 

A radical low-calorie diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, even six years into the disease, a new study by Newcastle and Glasgow Universities has found.  Nine out of 10 people in the trial who lost 15kg (two-and-a-half stone) or more put their type 2 diabetes into remission.

Sustainable Food Cities on YouTube!

Wells Food Network is a member of the Sustainable Food Cities network, which now has its very own YouTube channel. The aim is to showcase the people and projects across the UK that are exploring practical ways of using food to change the places where we live for the better.  Click on the image above to check out this video on the SFC YouTube Channel which explains what this movement is all about.

Sustainable Food Cities

Wells Food Network was established  to promote locally sourced, healthy, sustainable and affordable food for everyone in Wells and its surrounding towns, villages and countryside. Our founding partners are Sustainable Wells and Wells Food Festival.

Why were we founded?

Food and farming have always been an important part of the life of Wells and its surrounding towns and countryside. Yet today farmers face unprecedented challenges, our environment is under enormous pressure and many people cannot afford the good food they need.

Sustainable Food Cities

Wells has been accepted as a member of the Sustainable Food Cities network. This is a fantastic achievement for Wells Food Network. The fast-growing SFC network is group  of cities and regions across the UK working to transform their food and farming culture. 

Our mission

To celebrate the joy of good food and to champion sustainable,
affordable, locally grown food as an integral part of a heathy diet,
community wellbeing and environmental conservation.  
Picture credit, clockwise from top:  Wells Farmers' Market, by Susie Weldon; Wells Cathedral, by Susie Weldon; Apples by Steve Bridger; Salad by Susy Morris