A family gathered around a table sharing food
Reconnecting people with the diversity of food

Every table tells a story.

Food connects us to our families, cultures, landscapes, and memories. The Living Table celebrates the diversity of food and the stories behind it, inspiring a healthier and more resilient future for everyone.

Food is more than food.

It is identity, heritage, biodiversity, and the stories passed between generations.

Cultural Heritage

Every ingredient carries centuries of tradition, identity, and memory. Food is how cultures pass their stories to the next generation.

Global Biodiversity

Thousands of edible plants have shaped human civilisations. Preserving this diversity protects our ecosystems and our future.

Community & Resilience

Local food knowledge, shared recipes, and community growing practices build the resilience our food systems urgently need.

The Challenge

A world of food is disappearing quietly.

Over the past century, we have lost more than 75% of the world's crop diversity. Thousands of edible plants that once nourished communities have been forgotten, replaced by a handful of crops that now dominate our global food supply.

With every forgotten crop, we lose not only a food source but a story, a tradition, a piece of cultural identity. The knowledge held by farmers, cooks, and communities is disappearing with each generation.

But this is not a story of loss. It is an invitation to rediscover.

Understand The Challenge
Diverse heirloom vegetables and ancient grains
The Nutritional Paradox

We have more food than ever. But are we eating the diversity we need?

Modern food systems have achieved extraordinary abundance. Yet the variety on our plates has narrowed dramatically. Three crops — wheat, rice, and maize — now provide more than 50% of the world's plant-based calories.

Farmer in a field of diverse crops
The Opportunity

The future of food may already be growing around us.

Resilience

Diverse crops adapt to changing climates and resist disease.

Nutrition

Forgotten foods often carry exceptional nutritional profiles.

Biodiversity

More varieties means stronger, more resilient ecosystems.

Heritage

Every crop carries centuries of cultural knowledge and identity.

Discover The Opportunity
The Living Pantry

Discover the foods that shaped humanity.

A living library of forgotten crops, traditional recipes, and the cultural stories behind them.

Bambara groundnut

West & Central Africa

Bambara groundnut

A resilient source of plant protein, treasured for centuries for its ability to nourish people even in drought-prone landscapes.

Millet

Africa & South Asia

Millet

An ancient grain that helped build civilizations, prized for its nutrition, adaptability, and ability to flourish with little water.

Sorghum

Northeastern Africa

Sorghum

One of the world's great climate-resilient cereals, combining rich nutrition with a history of feeding communities across drylands for thousands of years.

Fonio

West Africa

Fonio

Tiny yet extraordinary, this ancient grain grows where few others can, while carrying centuries of culinary heritage and remarkable nutritional value.

the living table Community

Your food story belongs here.

Food knowledge lives in every family and community. The recipes passed down through generations, the ingredients that carry the taste of home, the traditions that deserve to be remembered — they all belong at this table.

What dish reminds you of home?

What food tradition should never disappear?

What crop does your community still grow?

Share Your Story
People sharing food around a table
We Broke the Earth's Axis to Grow Our Food
The book to learn more about the living table

Continue the journey beyond the table

The Living Table began with a simple question: what if the future of food could be found by rediscovering the diversity we have forgotten?

In "We Broke the Earth's Axis to Grow Our Food", Christoph explores how our relationship with food has changed, and how forgotten crops, ancestral knowledge, and everyday choices can help us imagine a more nourishing future.

The Living Table
The Living Table Journal

Bring stories from around the world to your table.

Forgotten crop discoveries, traditional recipes, community voices, events, and simple actions to support food diversity — delivered to your inbox.

No spam. Just stories worth sharing.