The 8th Slow Food International Congress opens a new era for the organization

Meet Edward Mukiibi, a millennial African farmer, social entrepreneur and new president of Slow Food. He takes over from the founder, Carlo Petrini, who has led the movement since 1986.

Today, July 16, 2022, Slow Food is hosting its 8th International Congress in Pollenzo, Italy. This historic date for the organization marks a new phase of change and regeneration, given the seal of approval by the man who founded it three decades ago, Carlo Petrini.

The congress delegates today elected a new global leadership ready to address the environmental, climate, political and social challenges facing the movement, which is present in 160 countries.

“The role of food as the main culprit in environmental disaster is emerging ever more loudly and clearly. Our movement, which has been working for 30 years to ensure good, clean and fair food, must have the courage to take a leading political role in curbing this trend, which has catastrophic implications,” said Carlo Petrini. “We need governance that leaves space for new generations. We must be able to combine the new with our history. The path taken so far has allowed us to achieve goals that once seemed unattainable and has made us what we are. However, today’s world is profoundly different from the one that saw the beginnings of our movement. We must therefore welcome and allow ourselves to be directed by the creativity and intuition of new individuals capable of interpreting the present and outlining the trajectory that will allow the achievement of future goals.”

At the center of this exciting outlook is Slow Food’s new leadership, represented by Edward Mukiibi, better known as Edie. He was born in 1986 in Uganda into a farming family, the same year the Slow Food Movement was born on the Spanish Steps of Rome in protest against the opening of a McDonald’s.

Originally from Kisoga in Uganda’s Mukono district, Mukiibi’s story is rooted in his family’s farm in a small African village. Today, he makes history with his appointment as President of Slow Food, and looks forward to shaping the future of regenerative farming cultures.

A tropical agronomist with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and land use management from Makerere University in Kampala (Uganda) as well as a Master of Gastronomy from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Mukiibi is a food and agriculture educator, social entrepreneur and, as of this month, officially stepping up to lead the Slow Food community as the organization’s President.

Mukiibi’s work has been recognized by many awards honoring his selfless contribution to a sustainable, fair and just food system. His tributes include the Ray Charles Black Hand in the Pot sustainability award from Dillard University and a Testimonial Resolution from the City Council of Detroit. Mukiibi has recently been listed in the Empowering Educators category of the 50 Next awards for young people under 35 shaping the future of gastronomy.

In addition to the presidency, Slow Food’s Executive Committee, the organization’s highest decision-making body, was renewed, with a new group that reflects the rich diversity of the movement. Click here to see the profiles of the eight newly elected members. During the Congress, they expressed their future commitment to guiding Slow Food:

Marta Messa (Italy), new Secretary-General

“From my more than 10 years serving Slow Food, I have learned a lot about the unique aspects of our movement: We’ve seen this shining so far, including during the pandemic. As a group we want to make the most of the movement’s strengths, with an awareness of its imperfections and what we need to improve. As we celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of Carlo’s legacy work and welcome Mukiibi’s new leadership, we are also growing, just like any other organization. Our goal is to keep fighting for the right of every single individual to good, clean and fair food, to elevate the incredible wealth of knowledge of grassroots communities and to facilitate the uptake of sustainable food systems the world over.”

Richard McCarthy (USA)

“How can we engage people in everyday life? The development of thematic networks has proven to be a strategic asset for the Slow Food movement, deeply engaging a relevant diversity of targets able to impact food systems by catalyzing the processes of change through mutual exchange and collaboration on issues deeply linked with their daily lives and interests, as well as mobilizing specific new resources. I believe that thematic networks also offer an opportunity to test new experiences for aggregation within Slow Food.”

Dali Nolasco Cruz (Mexico)

“Indigenous peoples are examples of resilience and defense of life on Earth, repositories of ancestral knowledge. Indigenous women and youth around the world struggle for the recognition of their role as guardians of food systems, land and biodiversity. The regeneration of Slow Food is an opportunity to continue to build from the collective and for it to position itself as the best and most recognized organization in food issues.”

Jorrit Kiewik (Netherlands)

“I was born just short of 20 years after the Club of Rome published its “Limits to Growth.” I grew up in the middle of a climate disaster. In the past 30 years I’ve experienced first hand how the loss of biodiversity has a terrible impact on our planet. My generation and the generations to come are suffering from the lack of action in the past 50 years. I believe that Slow Food has the key to reversing these challenges. I believe that our movement, uniting producers and consumers, and everyone in between, can change our world for the better. I am honored to take this role and can’t wait to start working with the global network of grassroots activists, making a change for the better. Changing the food system, one step at a time.”

Megumi Watanabe (Japan)

““I would like to remember the focus on joyfulness which is the core identity of Slow Food. We need to regenerate relationships between ourselves within the movement, as well as with the outer world, so we can truly become a collective voice. We should keep reminding ourselves that this movement is for all humankind, therefore we need to make an effort to go beyond boundaries, to get out of our comfort zone.”

Francesco Sottile (Italy)

“If biodiversity has been our goal for 30 years, today a regeneration effort must also address our approach to biodiversity itself. We have said many right things in the past, we have supported an international network capable of demonstrating how much biodiversity there is around the planet and how much we are losing and will lose if we do not find the key to conservation through rural communities. Today we must support an ecological transition, mitigate climate change and regenerate resources and rural areas by fighting poverty and restoring food sovereignty to rural communities. We must make every effort for biodiversity and agroecology to be at the center of food policies, and to demonstrate that from diversity comes resilience.”

Nina Wolff (Germany)

“The world needs guidance in order to slow down, and this reinforces our responsibility to make the Slow Food message shine; in view of the current crises and human rights violations, the political focus of our work must grow. Advocacy can be a tool for realizing our heartfelt hunger for food justice. It’s a necessity for Slow Food in the global north to make the effects of our food systems on the global south understood. This international board is a great team of reliable and dedicated individuals ready to serve the movement.”

“Staying together as a network and a global food movement is critical for making a lasting impact on a food system that has become a burden for the planet to bear,” added Mukiibi as he looked forward to his first Terra Madre event as Slow Food President. “Terra Madre 2022, and the #REGENERACTION hashtag, will symbolize a moment of big new openings for the Slow Food global network.”

Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, the largest international event dedicated to food politics, sustainable agriculture and the environment, to be held in Turin, Italy from September 22-26, 2002, is planning to launch a hybrid event that can accommodate both in-person and online participants worldwide around the organization’s upcoming #REGENERACTION impact campaign.

Slow Food International Press Office

Paola Nano – [email protected] (+39) 329 8321285

Alessia Pautasso – [email protected] (+39) 342 8641029