PANEL DISCUSSION & FILM SCREENING: REGENERATIVE FLAX FARMING IN IRELAND | THE CLEAN BLUE OF LINEN

As part of We Feed The UK’s collaboration with Belfast Exposed and Yvette Monahan’s exhibition “The Clean Blue of Linen”, farmers Helen Keys and Charlie Mallon of Mallon Farm are joined by Kerry Melville from Nourish NI in a panel facilitated by co-chair of Belfast Sustainable Food Partnership, Gawain Morrison. Helen and Charlie are reviving the tradition of growing Irish flax for fibre as part of a patchwork of potatoes, grass and oats. Together, they’ll discuss the potential to rebuild the Northern Irish flax industry in a fair and scalable way. Join us as we explore the role of fibre as part of a wider nature-friendly food and farming system, and share how others can diversity their farm without moving away from food production.

Join us for this discussion panel from 2.30pm – 3.30pm, followed by a screening of “The Nettle Dress” from 4.15pm.

This is a free event but please register to attend.

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Helen Keys and Charlie Mallon transitioned their inherited family farm into nature-friendly farmland. After finding their productivity and positivity swiftly grew alongside the increasing wildlife numbers, they developed Source Grow, an online platrorm that helps farmers decide what to grow.

Kerry Melville is the coordinator for Nourish NI. The charity partners with local food producers pioneering sustainable methods as part of their push to make healthy and sustainable food a defining characteristic of Northern Ireland

Gawain Morrison is a leading voice on Belfast’s food resilience. With decades of experience inspiring change through the arts, his current work uses food, music, and culture to bring citizens of Belfast together for a green and positive future.