Inaugural food resilience lab
With continuing global supply chain disruptions, rising living costs, and extreme weather events putting pressure on household pantries across Australia, Central Coast locals will gather on World Food Day (16 October) to take food security into their own hands.
Participants at the recently held pilot food lab at Narara Ecovillage.
7 October 2026
THE Central Coast Food Resilience Lab, held at The Central Coast Wetlands – ‘The Old Pioneer Dairy’ in Tuggerah in collaboration with SWAMP Central Coast (Sustainable Wetlands Agricultural Makers Project) – will bring together local growers, community leaders, environmental innovators, and residents to showcase practical, grassroots solutions for building a climate-resilient local food system.
“Regional communities like ours are increasingly vulnerable to supermarket transport bottlenecks and input cost surges and, of course, we’ve been warned that a severe El Niño is on its way,” said event coordinator, Tanya Mottl from FutuResilience Events and a member of Narara Ecovillage.
“This event will address regional food sovereignty, regenerative soil practices, urban agriculture, and local distribution networks. We will also tackle immediate issues like waste, supply redistribution and packaging.”
“World Food Day is typically viewed through a global lens but our Food Resilience Lab will spotlight how regional Australia can insulate itself against systemic vulnerabilities.
“From flood-damaged transport lines to rising grocery prices, this event will explore how community-driven food production and distribution can create localised, sustainable and affordable food networks.
"We can no longer assume supermarket shelves will automatically stay full during severe weather or economic shocks.
"The Food Resilience Lab isn't just about growing tomatoes in your backyard even though that’s a great place to start. It's about building and supporting a robust, connected regional food network right here on the Central Coast that keeps healthy, affordable food on local tables no matter what happens nationally or globally.”
SWAMP co-founder Sue Bradley said the group was excited to be hosting this event on World Food Day. “It’s an opportunity to showcase our beautiful community garden and our work and invite the community to think outside the ‘COLESWORTH’ square when it comes to growing and distributing food.
“We are looking forward to sharing our ideas with growers, producers, food businesses, educators, community organisations, sustainability practitioners and people simply interested in building a stronger local food system.”
According to Tanya Mottl, the Food Resilience Lab will be a participatory day of mapping, collaboration and systems thinking to explore our local food system, strengthen connections and cultivate what comes next.
“Food reaches our plates through a complex network that most of us rarely see. As communities face the combined pressures of fire, flood, drought, extreme weather, supply-chain disruption and increasing food costs, strengthening the resilience of our local food system is becoming increasingly important.
“Together, we’ll begin building a clearer picture of what already exists locally, where our strengths and dependencies lie, and where stronger relationships, new ideas and greater local capacity could make a difference.”
Tanya said more Food Resilience Labs are being planned in different locations across the Coast between now and April 2027.
.jpg?crc=4257584689)
_web.jpg?crc=282450513)
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE to the Grapevine News Online and to the monthly e-book edition of the Grapevine Community Weekly. Our online news platform and monthly newspaper is about real local news and events. We will not spam you or share your details with third parties.
