RURAL VOICES INTERNATIONAL

Fika and a Speaker! With Dr Debal Deb, the Rice Warrior of Odisha

3pm, 11th May

Horningsham Village Hall (in the marquee behind the hall)

Join us for a very special one-off 'Rural Voices International' event with Indian seed warrior Dr Debal Deb on 11th May. Debal is only giving 6 talks whilst in the UK so we are incredibly lucky to have him! He is going to talk to us about his incredible work to seek out and preserve more than 1400 indigenous rice varieties, all of which he grows in a living seed bank on his farm in Odisha, India. Many of the varieties Debal has preserved were believed to have gone extinct until, through journeys into some of the most remote areas of India, he found them and reintroduced them to India's agricultural and culinary community. This event is a partnership with the Gaia Foundation following their wonderful talk at Rural Voices in April. Alongside the talk, Horningsham's own Swedish baker "Bun in the Oven" will be offering 'fika' (a Swedish tradition of gathering for coffee and sweet treats).

This is a spin off of our monthly Rural Voices series, where we serve a full cooked breakfast alongside a talk exploring our theme of 'creative and resilient rural communities'. We are inviting a range of fascinating and eclectic speakers including farmers, writers, artists, historians and much more - many of them local - who are collectively weaving an amazing narrative tapestry about rural life and resilience. Have a look at all the amazing speakers we have lined up for 2025: www.horningshamvillagehall.com/ruralvoices