We Feed The Planet: What’s in Store this October!

This October, Slow Food and the Slow Food Youth Network have something big in store. As Expo 2015 comes to a close in Milan, an alternative event will be taking place in the city to show the world who really feeds the planet. This event comes after six months of discussions and exhibitions at Expo that have sought to address the topic Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. However with the voices of small-scale farmers, essential players in the food system, repeatedly overlooked, Slow Food decided something needed to be done.  

From October 3 – 6, Slow Food will bring thousands of young farmers, fishers, bakers, cheesemakers, brewers, beekeepers and food professionals from all over the world to Milan to discuss the future of food and farming and make a profound political statement in front of the world’s media. Over 2000 delegates are expected over the 4 days.

Known as Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed The Planet the event will consist of a rich program that will offer its delegates a broad variety of conferences, lectures, keynotes, workshops and hackathon-style brainstorming sessions (bringing together people from different professional backgrounds to develop solutions to a particular problem). The program covers every step of the food chain (production, distribution and consumption) and addresses topics such as food waste, hunger, agricultural policy, landgrabbing, resource management and labor conditions in the food industry. More details will be available by the end of August so watch this space.

A public opening ceremony will take place on Saturday October 3. What’s more, there will be presentations from keynote speakers including Raj Patel (USA, academic, activist and writer of Stuffed & Starved), Alice Waters (USA, activist & chef, owner of Chez Panisse) and of course, Carlo Petrini (Italy, Slow Food founder).

Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed The Planet will come to a close on Tuesday 6 October in dramatic fashion. All the delegates in attendance will be in the limelight as they head to Expo to march through the Decumano (the central walkway on the Expo site), and culminate in the Slow Food area. It is here that finally, scale-scale producers will be given the attention they deserve at Expo.

For more information about the program and registration visit http://www.wefeedtheplanet.com/en/event/