Presidia
What is a Slow Food Presidium?
Presidia are living examples of our philosophy in action.
They are small-scale food productions that protect traditional and artisanal products that are at risk of disappearing. Presidia producers follow the principles of agroecology, respecting the soil, water, animal welfare, and biodiversity. They use time-honored methods and avoid the use of pesticides, antibiotics, preservatives, artificial additives, and dyes.
The Presidium helps producers to be less isolated to overcome challenges and to access a fairer market.
Presidia are not just about food; they are also about culture. They preserve agricultural landscapes and the wisdom and skills of local producers. They are virtuous examples of the local economy, providing jobs and supporting rural communities.
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What We Do
Share guidelines with producers for each category.
Supervise production protocols and narrative labels.
Organize training activities to improve production sustainability.
Promote Presidium products at local, national and international events.
Connect Presidium producers with chefs from the Slow Food Alliance, Earth Markets, and other retailers and producers interested in buying their products.
Share the stories of products, producers and places through films, publications, articles, conferences and more.
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What You Can Do
As a Consumer
You can learn about these traditional products, visit the small-scale producers who work hard to keep them alive and buy from these communities in order to support them growing.
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As a Producer
You can join an existing community, begin the process of recognizing a presidium and connect with like-minded colleagues from around the world in preserving and passing on traditional production techniques and crafts.
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As a Cook
You’re the link that connects producers and consumers, promoting these products you’re giving them visibility and you’re supporting the work of thousands of farmers around the world. Your work doesn’t stop here, since you’re also educating those that are feasting on this food biodiversity.
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How to Set Up a Presidium
Click here to download the application. You can then send it either to your local Slow Food Coordinator or write at [email protected].
The application will be reviewed by Slow Food Biodiversity Office.
Once the application form has been approved, the next step is a visit by Slow Food Foundation staff or consultants and the organization of a meeting with local coordinators and the producers interested in joining.
The aim is to get a precise overview of the situation, identifying its potential and the problems that will need to be overcome.
A Presidium strengthens relationships between producers and acts to reinforce the local economic and social system. The creation of a Slow Food Community, with a specific objective, is essential to underpin the project.
To become a Slow Food Community, all the Presidium members must sign the Community Founding Declaration, available here.
Each new community of producers has to draft a production protocol, this document shared by all the producers defines the production area, the products history and describes the cycle of cultivation / breeding / processing and it serves as a kind of foundational charter
Slow Food’s narrative label is an important transparency and promotional tool for producers. It does not replace the legally required label, but supports it, allowing consumers to find out all about how the product was made: its place of origin, the type of farming used, production techniques, and so on. They can be individual, unique to each producer, or collective, describing the general context of the Presidium. They are a form of self-certification that directly involves the producer. For more details, click here.
The producers can request authorization to use the Slow Food Presidium logo on their products.
The Presidia are the only Slow Food projects allowed to use the snail logo on their product labels.
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