Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed The Planet: A Rich Program Enhances Learning, Exchange, and Community-Building

As EXPO comes to a close, Slow Food and the Slow Food Youth Network are organizing Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed the Planet from October 3-6 in Milan, a unique event that brings together thousands of young farmers, food producers, and food professionals from all over the world to discuss the future of food and farming.

Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed The Planet consists of a rich Academy Program that offers its participants a broad variety of conferences, lectures, keynotes, workshops and hackathons. The event aims to inspire and educate those who actually put food on our plates, to have them interact with other food producers and food professionals, in order to help shape new ideas for tomorrow’s food system and to encourage all participants to create change in their own communities back home. 

The Academy Program discusses ways of improving the food system on all levels of the production, distribution and consumption chain, and features hot topics such as food waste, labor in the food industry and entrepreneurship for young people in agriculture. During one of the four days of the gathering, there will also be a public event, open to everyone. 

With the announcement of the first keynote speakers, Raj Patel (academic, activist and writer of Stuffed & Starved), Edie Mukiibi (agronomist, ASHOKA Fellow), and Alice Waters (activist & chef, owner of Chez Panisse), the outline of the We Feed The Planet Academy Program is taking shape. The We Feed The Planet Academy Program is now open for registration. For more information about the program and registration, please visit http://www.wefeedtheplanet.com/en/event/ 

We Feed the Planet

This year the world turns its eyes to Milan, as EXPO 2015 addresses ways of feeding the planet. The discussion within the World Exhibition is so far missing the voices of those who actually produce the food that feeds the planet: farmers, fishers and producers. This is why, as the world exhibition comes to a close in October, Slow Food and the Slow Food Youth Network are organizing Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed The Planet (WFTP).

> Academy Program Outline

The concept of the Food Academy was created by the Slow Food Youth Network, which is currently planning the launch of this educational format in several countries. The idea is to tackle a hot topic, such as food waste or meat, and examine it through a series of different activities including informative conferences, practical workshops, discussions and activities.

The four-day Academy Program of WFTP will set out to inspire, create and refine ideas and models which will contribute to feeding the world of tomorrow in a good, clean, and fair way. By bringing together an international and interdisciplinary network of small-scale producers, food professionals and other youth of high potential, the event will provide them with ideas, knowledge and tools for creating change in their own home communities. The We Feed The Planet Academy Program is now open for registration and its complete program will be announced in the coming months.

> Keynote Speakers

WFTP is proud to announce the first few speakers who will join the conversation during We Feed the Planet: Alice Waters (United States, activist & chef, owner of Chez Panisse), Tristram Stuart (UK, author, founder of Feeding the 5K), Raj Patel (United States, academic, activist and writer of Stuffed & Starved), Zayaan Kahn (South Africa, Slow Food Youth Network), Carlo Petrini (Italy, Slow Food founder), Edie Mukiibi (Uganda, agronomist, ASHOKA Fellow) and many more to come!

> Crowdfunding campaign

To enable small-scale producers from all over the world to come to Milan and participate in the public debate on the future of our food system, Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed The Planet has started a global crowdfunding campaign. The campaign has so far raised over 70.000 euros and will continue until the end of September to host as many young farmers, fishers, artisans and food producers as possible, as they deserve to be there the most. 

> Public event

Apart from the Academy Program, We Feed The Planet will organize a major public event, open to all visitors and citizens of Milan. More information on this event will be announced in July.

Partners

Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed the Planet is an initiative of Slow Food and the Slow Food Youth Network, together with Terra Madre and the University of Gastronomic Sciences. The event is organized in collaboration with Fondazione Cariplo and Compagnia di San Paolo.

For more details on the event and the crowdfunding campaign, please visit: http://www.wefeedtheplanet.com/en/ 

For further information, please contact:

Lisa Bottema, Slow Food Youth Network Coordinator: [email protected]

Sharon Sheets, Slow Food Press Office: [email protected]