At the beginning of October, we headed to Farmwise to meet 1,200 children from Devon primary schools. Farmwise is a fantastic event designed to connect children to farming and deepen understanding of where food comes from.

We devised an activity to engage the children to think about how fruit is grown and how far it travels. And of course how tasty and healthy fruit is!

View our guide and run the Fruit Activity at your school or youth group - a hands-on way to learn about food origins, seasonality, and sustainability.

To learn more about Farmwise and get your school involved in future years, take a look at their website.

Over the past two years, nearly 50 school chefs across Devon and Cornwall have trained with Chefs in Schools. Now, thanks to support from Riverford Organics, they’re bringing the training straight to your kitchen!

This January, Devon schools can join a fully funded roadshow pilot of our School Chef Educator Programme with no travel needed. Chef Trainers will deliver tailored, hands-on support in your space, covering:

• Nutrition & School Food Standards
• Reducing food waste
• Creative menu ideas
• 1:1 mentoring

📅 Starts week of 26 January 2026 – limited places, so sign up soon!

Learn more about Chefs in Schools
Sign up to get one of the spaces

Contact Carys Barnes, School Engagement Manager, at carys@chefsinschools.org.uk to find out more or sign-up your team.

Plymouth City Council and Exeter City Council have pledged to offer food waste recycling to all residents from April 2026. Food waste recycling has been available in other parts of the county since 2012, but this move will mean everyone in Devon will have separate collections for food waste.

WRAP’s most recent estimate of food waste in the UK is 10.2 million tonnes, using data for 2021 and 2022. By weight, household food waste makes up 58% of the total, on-farm 16%, manufacturing 13%, hospitality and food service 11%, and retail 2%. 

Learn what can and can't go into your food waste kerbside caddy

Read the BBC article about the changes in Devon's food waste collections

Read WRAP's report on food waste

Yesterday, the Devon Agri-Tech Alliance (DATA) hosted an event in Teignbridge as part of the Agri Innovation Programme, managed by Devon County Council. It’s the first event in this current programme, for farmers and land managers to explore how innovation, including agroforestry, can benefit farming in Devon.

Agroforestry is planting trees with crops or livestock, while silvopasture is specific to the planting of trees with livestock. The practice aims to create more resilient, biodiverse, and climate-friendly farms. These farming practices support our aims in the Devon's  Good Food Strategy of sustainable land use, local food production, and environmental stewardship.

You can read the Devon Good Food Strategy here.

You can find out more about the Agri Innovation Programme here, it remains open for expressions of interest

Councillor Cottle-Hunkin, cabinet member for Rural Affairs, and Councillor Henry Gent, the chair of the Farms Estate Committee are highlighting the essential role farming plays in Devon’s economy, environment, and food security.

Devon’s farmers manage over 1.7 million hectares of land, with grazing livestock and dairy farms making up nearly 55 per cent of holdings, according to Government figures. Yet, the region saw a 32 per cent drop in total income from farming in 2023, with milk and beef remaining the largest contributors.

Read more about Devon councillors calling on government to protect farming families

The Eat-Lancet Planetary Health Diet (PHD) 2.0 is a revision of the Eat-Lancet PHD from 2019. It is a cross-sector, in-depth global study about eating in a way that’s good for both people and the planet. It encourages more plant-based foods, less red meat, and a focus on whole grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and fruits supporting health while reducing environmental impact. 

The PHD is designed to adapt to different geographies and so the PHD for Devon looks different to the PHD in other parts of the world.

Below are a few articles you may like to read:

DIGEST: EAT Lancet - Beyond the headlines - AFN Network+

The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission Report Launches - EAT

Feeding Britain | Sustainable Food Trust

Please note that the NHS EatWell Guide is not the same as the PHD.

A new systematic review and meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity explores whether mobile apps can support behaviour change towards healthier, more sustainable diets. 

Results showed that app use significantly increased fruit and vegetable consumption and led to a small reduction in meat intake.

Read the full paper here.

Credit to the Exeter Food newsletter for the information.

Are you looking to strengthen your farm business? Support can cover a wide range of areas, including business planning and financial management; soil health and nutrient management; farm infrastructure improvements and more.

There are different levels of FREE support depending on your location, for farmers in West Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, East Devon and Mid Devon. Spaces are limited, so find out more on the BIP website and get in touch with them for a chat about what's available.

Saturday 8 November 2-5 pm 

Emmanuel Hall, Exeter, EX4 1EJ

At the heart of permaculture lies the design process, a practical, adaptable approach that can be applied to everything from a garden to a community project. In this workshop, Tess Wilmot, permaculture designer and facilitator, will use engaging practical exercises to guide us through the core steps of permaculture design.

🔗Book your space on Zero Mile Gardens Permaculture Design Workshop

Thursday 27 November 9:30am-3:30pm

Sandy Park, Exeter

Designed specifically for school teachers, facilities managers, and sustainability leads who are passionate about driving positive environmental change within their institutions.

This new event will share invaluable insights and practical tools for making your school more sustainable - sharing initiatives that not only help the environment but also save your school money and reduce its carbon footprint.

Book your space at the Sustainability conference: Empowering schools towards a sustainable future 

Tuesday 2 December 10am-2pm

Hawke Barn, nr. Tiverton, EX16 9QG