Slow Food Plants the Seeds of Slow Food Farms

The second day of Terra Madre marks the turning point toward agroecology

Today at Terra Madre, the largest international event on food and food policy being held in Turin, Italy, agroecology took the stage lights.

“Agroecology is a science that combines the knowledge of traditional people, indigenous farmers, and peasant farmers with modern science. From that, there is a bridge, a dialogue of wisdom in which principles are derived that allow for the design of agricultural systems that are going to be diverse, resilient, and productive. Agroecology is also a space for hope in this times of crisis”,

said Miguel Altieri, professor at the University of California, Berkeley (USA), General Coordinator of the United Nations Sustainable Agriculture Program, and a scientific advisor to the Latin American Consortium on Agroecology and Development, who intervened in several conferences. His book, Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture, is a foundational volume in the field of agroecology. 

The transition towards agroecology is urgent and requires commitment and perseverance from all actors in the food system. Edward Mukiibi, Slow Food President, pointed out:

“In this transition, there are farmers who want to break the system owned by multinationals. To face this system, they need to keep closer together. Many other organizations are doing it and Slow Food is bringing farmers together to begin this path and give them a sense of belonging. Everything starts with the farm, if we want to support diets, we want to support local markets and local economies. That is why Slow Food Farms have such a fundamental role”. 

Francesco Sottile, member of the Slow Food Board and Professor of Biodiversity and Quality in Food Systems at the University of Palermo said:

“We are launching the Slow Food Farms as a new network of good, clean, and fair farmers producing in the way of agroecology, in balance with Nature. Farmers and consumers share the responsibility of promoting agroecological practices when producing and choosing their food”.

Mariama Sonco (Senegal), farmer, activist, and national coordinator of Nous Sommes la Solution (“We are the solution”), a rural women’s movement for food sovereignty active in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Guinea, and beyond, said:

“Our movement is made up of rural women who use agroecology to influence decision-makers and value products. In Africa, this production philosophy has always been practiced by women for self-consumption and to maintain the nutritional well-being of the family, even when-as is the case for most of them-they do not own land. Women play a key role in preserving seeds and thus traditional varieties threatened by deforestation cause the disappearance of many species. We can only give future to the next generation by supporting women’s and young people’s businesses, strengthening their capacities”.

Slow Food Farms is set to become the largest global network of farms dedicated to producing good, clean, and fair food in a way that’s rooted in agroecological principles. They embody the future of sustainable agriculture.