Terra Madre Balkans 2014 Event Program

Organized by Kinookus with the support of Slow Food, the third edition of Terra Madre Balkans will be held from June 19 to 22 in Dubrovnik and will bring together food communities from southeast Europe to celebrate their food traditions and call for action to safeguard their rural heritage. More than 200 delegates from 11 countries will take part (including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, The Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey).

Carlo Petrini, founder and President of Slow Food, will participate in Terra Madre Balkans and speak at two conferences on Saturday, June 21.

As an essential part of the event, an Earth Market with representatives from 68 food communities from Southeast Europe will be set up in the historical Park Gradac. The market will feature 32 booths – at least one for each of the eleven represented countries – some of which offer Slow Food Presidia or Ark of Taste products. The market will also showcase some Slow Food Presidia products from different countries, such as: Mavrovo Reka Mountain Pasture Cheeses (Macedonia), Bucegi Mountains Branza de Burduf (Romania), Gledić Crvena Ranka Plum Rakija (Serbia), Seyez Wheat Bulgur (Turkey).

Some of the products that you will be able to find at the Earth Market include, for example, a selection of autochthonous Croatian cheeses and dairy products such as “škripavac” cheese made from the milk of Busha cattle (an Ark of Taste nominated cheese and breed), dry cone-cheeses from the Međimurje region, goat cheese from eastern Slavonia and the well-known Paški cheese from a family dairy farm on the island of Pag.

The market is a space where one can discover and taste rare foods, as well as listen to firsthand reports and learn from producers and representatives, who bring with them their experience and ancient knowledge about a territory, traditional production techniques and the distinct characteristics of these products. This form of food education presents the chance to experience food through different senses: from seeing and hearing to tasting and smelling.

Some of the conferences that will be held for the occasion of Terra Madre Balkans at the University of Dubrovnik, Campus Amphitheatre include:

–       Terra Madre Balkans Plenary Conference: Terra Madre Balkans delegates will meet in the plenary conference, where the major topics of the coming days will be introduced: from the role the EU should play in supporting small-scale farmers in the region to the call for sustainable fishing practices in the Adriatic Sea; from traditional products and Geographical Indications to Slow Food’s Ark of Taste and Presidia projects; from the role of youth in agriculture and food production to the need for taste education among societies in the Balkans. Friday June 20, 10:30 am – 1:00 pm.

–       Supporting Small-Scale Farmers in the Balkans: The EU is often blamed for imposing very strict rules and regulations that put constrains on small-scale producers, thus threatening local traditions and knowledge related to artisanal food production. This conference aims at introducing the flexibility provisions existing in the EU regulations and presenting case studies in which the governments of the member states in the Balkans have availed of this opportunity. The conference will present a policy brief developed by the ESSEDRA partnership and Forum Synergies and that, after needed amendments, will be officially launched. Friday June 20, 3 – 5:00 pm.

–       Conference on Traditional Products and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI): While more than 1,400 products are currently protected with Geographical Indications in the EU, only few of them belong to the Balkans region. Organised by FAO and NGO REDD, this conference aims to shed light on the process leading to the establishment of Geographical Indications. The cases of the mandarins from Croatia’s Neretva Valley and kulen sausage from the Baranja region will be discussed, together with a presentation of the Hrvatski Otočni Proizvod launched by the Croatian Minister of Regional Development. Friday June 20, 5:30 – 8:00 pm.

–       Beyond the Ark of Taste – Defining Terra Madre Balkans’ Strategy to Safeguard Endangered Food Traditions: Over 120 products from the Balkans and Anatolia have been registered in the Ark of Taste – Slow Food’s international catalogue of endangered foods. These products are part of the food culture of local communities that, due to various economic, political and social reasons, are fragile and cannot sustain the production of the unique foods of the Balkans. The main goal of the Terra Madre Balkans network is to define future steps and tools to save these products from extinction, while fostering local food communities. Carlo Petrini will give the introductory speech to the meeting. Saturday June 21, 10:00am – 12:00pm.

For the complete event and conference program, please visit: http://www.essedra.com/media/ING_depliant-TM-balcani.pdf

For further information:

www.slowfood.com

www.terramadre.org

http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/

Michele Rumiz

Slow Food – Area Coordinator for the Balkans

+39 0172 419 746; [email protected]

Paola Nano

Slow Food International – Press Office

[email protected]

Ivo Kara Pesic

Event Coordinator and leader of Slow Food Dubrovnik – KinoOkus

+385 95 9295 764; [email protected], [email protected]

The international Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto event will be held in Turin from October 23-27 this year. Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre are united once more into a single event that will see the presence of Terra Madre food communities from all over the world as well as food producers, Slow Food Presidia and chefs, Taste Workshops and educational activities. Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2014 in Turin will host an exhibition area of around 100 square meters dedicated entirely to the Balkans where more than 50 food communities and Slow Food Presidia will exhibit and sell their products.