Members of the Terra Madre network in Argentina and Uruguay will meet in Buenos Aires today to kick off the second Terra Madre Argentina, a four-day event bringing together farmers, fishers, producers of good, clean and fair products, cooks, students, academics and responsible and interested consumers (co-producers) to exchange ideas and strengthen their network.
A year on from the inaugural meeting in 2009, the occasion will once again welcome producers from the country’s Presidia – the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity’s projects set up to preserve and promote quality production. Members of the Quebrada de Humahuaca Andean Potatoes Presidium will be present, sharing their work to protect historic potato varieties, selected and cultivated as far back as 4,000 years but whose numbers have halved in the past 40 years. They will be joined by producers from the Yacón Presidium who work to keep alive the cultivation of an Andean tuber, commonly used to make juices, jams and jellies, which dates back to Argentina’s pre-Hispanic period.
Delegates traveling from different corners of the two countries will be representing their regions and participating in seminars and discussions based on themes of common interest, developing solutions for everyday problems inherent in systems of food production and consumption. The event will feature presentations on issues such as sustainable fish and biodiversity, a showcase of traditional foods, an area dedicated to taste education, and a multimedia area with documentaries produced by members of the Terra Madre network.
The event was organized with the hope that the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences would once again serve to reinforce the network, giving representatives from different areas of the food system the possibility to meet, compare experiences and strengthen their relationships, with the goal of moving towards sustainable food production in the country.
Terra Madre Argentina will be held from July 8 to 11, 2010, in collaboration with the Caminos y Sabores fair, in the La Rural exposition centre of Palermo, Buenos Aires.
For more information:
Andrea Amato
[email protected]