An exploratory public research project by Edible Issues

Who Feeds Bengaluru is an ongoing exploratory research and public participation project that seeks to understand the forces shaping how the city of Bengaluru eats. Through conversations, community dialogue, collaborative workshops, and participatory mapping, the project asks:
Who grows, moves, cooks, and cares for the city’s food? And what does this tell us about the city’s past, present, and edible futures?

Why Bengaluru?

A city renowned as India’s Silicon Valley and Garden City, Bengaluru is an ever-evolving urban centre shaped by migration, history, technology, and ecology. With over 11 million residents, its food culture is as diverse as its people — rooted in tradition, transformed by globalisation, and now increasingly influenced by food tech and digital platforms.

We believe it’s vital to explore how this city feeds itself, especially at a time when global crises like climate change and pandemics force us to rethink our relationships with food.

Why Food?

Food is an invisible thread connecting people, land, and culture. It sits at the heart of our homes, cities, economies, and rituals. In Bengaluru, food is a witness to historic migrations, changing neighbourhoods, market politics, and technological disruption. Through food, we can map the pulse of a city in transition — and the everyday resilience of those who feed it.

Why People?

People are at the core of this project. Those who grow, move, prepare, serve, and eat food — and everyone in between. Through interviews, cook-alongs, public conversations, and research collaborations, WFB seeks to amplify the voices of everyday eaters, street vendors, farmers, delivery workers, chefs, and food entrepreneurs.

Research Tracks:

The project unfolds across four thematic tracks:

• Urban Food City: How does food move through the city? Where does it come from? Who makes it accessible?

• Food Culture & Identity: How do communities, migration histories, and social identities shape what and how we eat?

• Food Service & Food Care: How does food function as care, social glue, and sustenance across restaurants, homes, hospitals, schools, and informal kitchens?

• Food Tech: How is Bengaluru’s tech-driven economy influencing food habits, value chains, and delivery systems?

Events & Activities:

• Who Feeds Bengaluru @ Science Gallery Bengaluru
  Workshops, conversations, cook-alongs, and public engagements as part of Phytopia, exploring Bengaluru’s edible ecosystems.
  See the programme archives here →

• Bengaluru Cookbook Map:
  A community-sourced, interactive map of the city’s food stories, home recipes, and edible landmarks.

Meet the Team:

• Anusha Murthy — Technologist and systems thinker specialising in tech-led food system innovation.

• Elizabeth Yorke — Chef, researcher, and co-founder of Edible Issues, exploring edible culture through fieldwork and storytelling.

• Shivani Unakar — Culinary storyteller and cook, passionate about tracing India’s traditional foodways and contemporary eating cultures.

Collaborators:

This is a collective project by design, with collaborators including:
Urban Design Collective, Science Gallery Bengaluru, MOLD, Lore, The Center for Genomic Gastronomy, Goya Journal, The Circular Collective, Bangalore Creative Circus

Connect with Us:

📩 Email: whofeedsblr@gmail.com
📸 Instagram: @whofeedsblr
📝 Sign up to stay updated: Join our mailing list