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The newsletter
for all members of the Terra Madre
network, defenders of sustainable
agriculture, fishing and breeding.
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Turin
2008
This
month’s newsletter is dedicated to
personal accounts from people who, in different
ways, have given their commitment and energy
to achieving the world meeting of food communities.
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I
support Terra Madre because…
In
a globalized world, the Slow Food philosophy
would fall short if it only aimed to realize
its vision in the developed countries of the
global North. If you are interested in food
culture, you must focus your attention on
the way food is produced worldwide. This inevitably
raises the question of equal opportunities
and the fair distribution of wealth between
industrialized and developing countries. For
example, just think of the unequal difference
in power between small peasant farmers and
large multinationals producing seeds or fertilizers.
This is why I fully support the idea and activities
of Terra Madre. The linking of producers,
consumers and other players in this area (such
as gastronomes and scientists, etc.) into
a network can lead to strategies capable of
changing the overall system on a global scale.
Therefore, I consider it necessary for Terra
Madre to extend its networking activities
with other players such as NGOs trading in
“fair trade” labeled goods. But
it will also be important to address political
demands to the relevant decision makers in
the global North, for example: to end exports
of subsidized agricultural products to developing
countries which render local food production
uneconomical, or to introduce a worldwide
tax on speculative transactions in food commodities.
Only in this way will the Terra Madre vision
gain the necessary power and effectiveness.
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Burkhard
Mayr
Member of Slow Food Vienna convivium, Austria
and donor to the Friends of Terra Madre network
burkhard.mayr@gmx.net
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Welcome
to our home!
Our family participated in the second edition
of Terra Madre in 2006. The local Slow Food
convivium told us about Terra Madre and we
agreed to help without knowing much about
the event or its aims, and found it to be
quite an extraordinary experience from all
points of view, especially from a human perspective.
The commitment expected from host families
was fairly modest: providing breakfast, dinner
and a bed for the four days of the event.
The first evening, we sat down to dinner with
Benedito da Silva, a 70-year-old producer
of Brazilian manioc flour from Parà
region. We had language difficulties and felt
rather uncomfortable at first, but in the
end the desire to communicate won through
and allowed us to discover his world. A world
composed of hard work and passion, permeated
with awareness that he was pursuing an important
goal - the defense of biodiversity.
It was this aspect which brought together
two people belonging to two very different
and distant worlds: Benedito, who had left
his country for the first time, and my father
who had transformed half of the farm he manages
into wetlands as a stop-over for migrating
birds. |
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Lorenza
Vaschetti
lorenza.vaschetti@libero.it
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Experiencing
Italian Village Life
Four years ago, I stayed with a dairy farming
family outside of Turin. They were delightful.
The couple was recently married and had just
moved into a new home. The wife was really
excited to have a foreign couple come and
stay for a few days; her husband not only
dreaded it but I think was quite opposed to
the idea. But soon he broke out a jug of his
home-made wine and we got out our dictionaries.
We ended up having a wonderful time conversing
back and forth in English, Italian and German
to try and understand each other. While we
tend to eat a diet low in meat and high in
vegetables at home, our meals here were meat,
meat and more meat. It was more interesting
than it may appear.
Two years ago, I returned to Terra Madre alone
as a delegate and over four nights I stayed
in three different places and had a completely
different experience. Each night we went out
in villages to various celebrations and events.
All of the hosts were kind, generous, gregarious
and fun to be with. My Italian had improved
a little and their English was by and large
very good.
Through these hosts, I had two very different
experiences of Italian village life. The first
experience was very much based in a rural
home, while the second was more about the
village life. It would be hard to prefer one
over the other but the latter was certainly
more of a celebration! |
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John
Lee
Orchardist and writer, Brookline Community
of Educators, USA
allandalefarm@verizon.net
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Out
of Africa
Around the time of Terra Madre 2006 I was
looking for a job and decided to take the
truly unique opportunity to work as a volunteer
at this event, which brought together 5000
small farmers from all corners of the world.
For three days, I interviewed delegates from
various food communities to identify the best
way to assist them and to establish networks.
As I am a French speaker, I mainly collected
information from African agricultural communities.
Speaking to them was like traveling to their
land. One moment I was in Uganda discovering
the nutritional benefits of orange fleshed
sweet potatoes, then on the banks of a river
in the Congo with the President of the fishermen’s
union, to Ghana producing cream from Karité
butter, in Mauritania trying the dromedary
milk... Time stood still in Terra Madre and
gave everyone the opportunity to meet and
find common solutions through exchange and
discussion. Being a volunteer at Terra Madre
meant fully experiencing cultural diversity.
It surpassed my expectations, enabling me
to discover another reality and profoundly
changing my awareness of the agricultural
issues affecting our planet. There is always
some Slow Food on my plate and in my shopping
trolley, and I have a heartwarming feeling
when I think of all the people I met in Turin. |
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Juliette
Fillion
French volunteer, Terra Madre 2006
juliette.fillion@gmail.com
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It is now only four
months until the next edition of Terra Madre,
and yet it seems just yesterday that Slow Food
President Carlo Petrini had the idea back in 2003
of creating a large world gathering of food communities.
Looking back at the last five years, we can say
without hesitation that what has happened is beyond
our wildest dreams. We were confident we could
involve many people from around the world who
where aware and concerned about Terra Madre issues,
but never thought that such a wide variety of
people would be willing to make an effort to build
the network. It is worth remembering that in addition
to the various networks– food communities,
cooks, universities and the new groups of young
people and musicians this year — many other
individuals have made vital contributions towards
the growth and functioning of Terra Madre over
the past years. Many convivia around the world
have begun working with food communities or cooks,
creating that crucial link between producers and
consumers interested in good, clean and fair food.
Convivia frequently organize fundraising activities
in support of Terra Madre communities as well
as organizing a host of activities around the
world – from large national events to small
initiatives – which are extremely useful
in spreading the Terra Madre philosophy.
Then there are the hundreds of volunteers who
have been dedicating their free time to support
the project for years now, and who one year ago
formed their own association. Others have chosen
to support Terra Madre by donating money to help
producers in poorer countries and numerous families
have hosted delegates in their homes, many of
whom have formed real friendships, keeping contact
and in some cases visiting delegates in their
home countries. I could continue this list of
supporters, but will close by stressing the thousands
of strong relationships which have been created,
quite spontaneously and independently of our central
organization. These relationships are undoubtedly
the strong foundation from which we will continue
to build the Terra Madre network around the world.
Paolo Di Croce
Slow Food International Secretary General and
Terra Madre Foundation Secretary.
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Join
a great international community that defends sustainable
agriculture, fishing and breeding.
Celebrate the pleasure that the finest foods in
the world offer us in all their variety
servicecentre
@slowfood.com |
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Year-round
Fundraising in Australia
In 2006, Slow Food Perth successfully raised funds
to send 14 delegates to the world meeting of food
communities in Turin. Our convivium is permanently
fundraising for Terra Madre, as we believe it to
be one of the most important Slow Food projects.
Supporting artisan producers of good, clean and
fair food is essential as they are the backbone
of the movement. A minimum of ten percent of money
raised at all our events is put into a fund to support
our local Terra Madre network. In addition, in 2006
we briefed the state government and regional authorities
about the project and they contributed significantly
to our fundraising. We also held a major event to
raise funds in the lead up to the meeting - a lunch
for more than 100 people featuring produce from
the Terra Madre food communities. Local media coverage
was of great assistance in raising the profile of
local Terra Madre delegates and in increasing support.
On returning home from the meeting in Italy, participants
attended government agency workshops and briefings
to share their knowledge and experiences and a special
luncheon was prepared by Terra Madre chef Vincenzo
Velletri to thank our sponsors and supporters. |
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Pauline
Tresise
Slow
Food Perth co-convivium leader
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The
world at the table...
The
Terra Madre network of Osterie and Restaurants
and local Slow Food convivia organize dinners
throughout Italy to raise funds to help cover
the travel expenses of delegates from developing
nations.
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We believe it is important to take practical action
in support of a project that, year by year, is increasingly
becoming a real alternative to globalization. We
are forgetting that diversity is crucially important.
The staff in our osteria kitchen includes three
Singhalese, one Moroccan and two Eritreans who passionately
present their countries through food.
Salvatore e Mirna
Toscano
Osteria Mangiando Mangiando, Greve di Chianti,
Florence, Italy
salva.t@virgilio.it
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Osterie
unite for Terra Madre
Slow
Food Torino Città, in collaboration with
Eataly and five of Turin’s “Osterie
d’Italia”, organized a successful
fundraising dinner event last month. We hear an
account of the evening from a guest and one of
the organizers.
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I
sometimes manage to go out to dinner as a guest
rather than cook.... and if it is for charitable
purposes, so much the better! June 11 was such an
occasion and it was a truly magnificent evening,
with more than 100 people filling the dining room.
Roberto Burdese, President of Slow Food Italy, opened
proceedings with an interesting talk about biodiversity
and organic agriculture, and how it is becoming
increasingly popular in many parts of the world.
Many, many dinners and events are being organized
by convivia around Italy to raise funds for Terra
Madre. I feel that it is wonderful if we are able
to assist good causes whilst enjoying ourselves!
In my
Blog, I have created a small
photographic collage to commemorate the evening
where you can see the food, friends and chefs at
work. |
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Sandra
Salerno
Cook, writer and Slow Food member
cucina@untoccodizenzero.it
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We
planned and organized a special dinner involving
five Turinese osterie (Sotto la Mole, Antiche Sere,
Concalma, Saletta and Oca Fola) to raise funds for
the travel expenses of delegates coming from Brazil
and Morocco.
Roberto Burdese used the occasion to stress the
importance of Terra Madre for the city of Turin
and its inhabitants. Bruno Boveri, President of
Slow Food Piedmont and Val d’Aosta and Eric
Vassallo, Slow Food Governor, introduced the chefs
who explained their dishes. The meal was an expression
of local traditions: mixed Piedmontese antipasti,
specialties in carpione, Acquerello rice with vegetables,
braised meat with Barolo, bonet pudding and panna
cotta.
An impressive total of 125 people were able to enjoy
this special occasion which was also attended by
France 2 TV and numerous local journalists. |
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Leo
Rieser
Slow
Food Torino Città Convivium Leader, Italy
leo.rieser@slowfoodtorino.com
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Coldiretti
members open their homes
Coldiretti,
the Italian National Federation of Farmers, has
a high national profile. It represents rural interests
and agriculture as an economic, human and environmental
resource. The members of Coldiretti Piedmont will
again welcome more than 40 delegates to farms,
rural accommodation and family homes in the region.
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Hosting
individuals from the kaleidoscopic Terra Madre network
means coming into contact with people from all parts
of the world. Through hosting delegates in their
homes, our members have a unique opportunity for
exchange, interaction and friendship. Coldiretti
has enthusiastically supported and welcomed the
Terra Madre project as it is based on a different
approach to agriculture; more focused on environmental
resources, local sourcing of products, the dignity
of producers and consumer health. It provides an
opportunity for food communities from around the
world to get to know each other, make their voices
heard and present their opinions directly, without
the intervention of parties wanting to spread imposing
justifications for the standardization of agriculture,
food and consumption whilst concealing their true
interests.
In October the sounds, colors, stories and aromas
of distant lands will once again mingle in a large
global village when producers and others involved
in the agrifood sector come together as representatives
of an alternative approach to food production. |
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Giorgio
Ferrero
Regional President Coldiretti
Piedmont
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The
of network of
Terra Madre towns
comprises all the Italian local authorities that
wish to offer Italian and Piedmontese hospitality
during the event. Local authorities in the network
have actively participated in the project by both
providing financial support and hosting delegates.
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Shepherds
stopover in Biella
In 2006 the Biella Provincial Authority, together
with the local authority and other bodies, provided
hospitality to 40 herders from food communities.
Our guests were selected on the basis that they
raise animals for wool as well as meat.
Raw Material, Community Fiber was the name of a
meeting held in Biella separately from the official
Terra Madre program. The aim of the meeting was
to provide an opportunity for farmers, wool producers
and representatives of the Biella textile industry
to meet and exchange information.
It was perhaps the first time that the herders’
traditional culture came into contact with the industrial
culture of a textile town such as Biella. We are
indebted to the work of the communities and felt
the need to share in their culture, supporting our
strong commitment to social justice for the herders
from the various communities. |
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Davide
Bazzini
Councilor for Environmental Protection, Peace and
Cooperation, Biella Provincial Authority
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Food Traditions
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Maori
New Year |
Matariki is the Maori name for
the group of stars also known as the Pleiades star cluster and
its appearance in June low on the horizon shortly before dawn
marks the traditional Ma¯ori New Year. The New Year is
marked by the rise of Matariki and the next new moon.
In Maori culture the sighting of the Seven Sisters also defines
the coming season’s harvest (maramataka): the
brighter the stars, the warmer the season would be, the earlier
the planting and the more productive the crop. If hazy then
the next winter would be cold and seeds would not be planted
before October. In addition to defining the seasonal cycles,
Matariki refers to the collecting and storing of food
for the winter period (Matariki ahunga nui - Matariki
provider of plentiful food).
Matariki is an important occasion for families to gather, an
opportunity to meet and share rituals, and enjoy celebrating
together. Women sing and dance to greet the new cycle and prepare
traditional dishes with freshly gathered produce. Forgotten
by many Maori due to progressive adoption of western culture,
traditional New Year celebrations have been revived in recent
decades. Matariki is a time for reflecting on nature,
a central concept in Maori culture: Maori believe they are Kaitiaki,
guardians of the land and all natural resources, protecting
and nurturing it to ensure its sustainability.
Traditional agricultural practices – such as observing
the phases of the moon, the stars, bird activity and the flowering
period of the plants - are followed by the 800 producers united
in the Maori Vegetable Growers food community. Following organic
and traditional methods, they cultivate corn, potatoes, sweet
potatoes (kumara, with some varieties deriving from the sweet
potatoes brought by the first settlers from Polynesia a thousand
years ago), and zucchini. The producers are also members of
Te Waka Kai Ora - the body which certifies traditional organic
Ma¯ori farming methods.
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TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRADITIONS!
Describe your community, your
regional dishes and the occasions on which
you eat them. We'll post the best entries
in this section:
communication@slowfood.com
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Your Questions Answered
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How
can I assist the organization of the Terra Madre
event as an individual? Can you give me some practical
examples?
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As is shown in this special edition, there are many different
ways to help make Terra Madre happen, just as there are many
different people who of their own accord decide to give their
assistance to make the event a success.
Donations. Through making a donation,
you immediately and directly contribute to the success of Terra
Madre. It is a significant cultural event requiring enormous
effort in many areas, particularly in raising the necessary
financial resources. Your donations assist delegates from all
parts of the world to participate. To make a donation to assist
with the organization of this large event, please click
here.
Slow Food membership. Joining Slow
Food means supporting a new approach to agriculture that respects
the environment, human beings, taste and Terra Madre food communities.
It means supporting a worldwide project for agricultural development
and becoming part of an international community that includes
producers and consumers, chefs, housewives, environmentalists,
academics and gourmets, as well as a local community (convivium),
which organizes dinners, tastings, conferences and events in
your local vicinity. Discover
the value of becoming a Slow Food member!
Hospitality. Being willing to host
delegates and inviting farmers, fishermen or artisan producers
from around the world into your home is another way of personally
experiencing the Terra Madre spirit. It is a unique way of exchanging
and sharing: an opportunity to meet and discover new lives and
share your own. Terra Madre delegates are hosted throughout
the local area thanks to the wonderful support from the Network
of Terra Madre Towns, as well as help from private
individuals, associations, local bodies and accommodation facilities
who welcome food communities into their lives for a few days
to become host communities.
Participate in the online
Earth Workshops Forum. Discussion forums for
each seminar are now online. Lead by an expert moderator on
the topic, the forums are open to contributions from everyone
(not only delegates but also people who will not be present
during the event), including comments, articles, information
exchanges, presentations of reports etc. Participation in these
forums is very useful, as they will form the basis of the discussions
that will occur during the Earth Workshops in Turin this October.
In addition, they provide an opportunity to increase involvement
and to further extend the Terra Madre network!
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Did
You Know that?
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A World Bank of Traditional
Knowledge is being created! |
Following the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992), the United
Nations recognized that traditional techniques and knowledge
are part of the solution to environmental problems and climate
change as they demonstrate how to interact with ecosystems in
a sustainable way. The Traditional Knowledge World Bank (TKWB)
is being established with the aim to recover and revive this
valuable heritage, adapting it and protecting it from those
who might want to wrongfully misappropriate it. Architect and
urban planner Pietro Laureano, the UNESCO consultant for arid
areas, Islamic civilization and endangered ecosystems, coordinates
the project. TKWB includes measures to prevent patenting. Intellectual
property rights can only appropriate traditional knowledge when
it is not “well-known” and therefore, the centre
will notify the European Patent Office as information is collected
and archived.
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Old MacDonald still on the farm…
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A report published at the beginning of
this month tells us that more than half of European farmers
are over 55 years old and a quarter of them are over 65, while
the percentage of those younger than 35 is only 7% and falling.
The ageing of the agricultural sector is a phenomenon found
in various countries and has prompted European parliamentarians
to ask for further EU measures to encourage young people not
to abandon the sector. The initiative is based on a report drawn
up by Italian European MP Donato Tommaso who says: “It
is not the hard work which is causing young people to leave
this sector, but the high financial investment required to set
up in business (particularly to purchase land). In most cases
they are forced to run up significant debts”.
This issue does not only concern Strasbourg, it is one for which
answers are being sought around the world.
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