This is a CTP of initiative: Slow Food Italy
The celebration of the first edition of Terra Madre, in October 2004, meant a critical turning point in the timeline of Slow Food Italy and, of course, in the timeline of Slow Food International Association. Terra Madre is the biggest international event that Slow Food had ever organized. The aim of Terra Madre is to unite small-scale farmers and food activists from across the world to explore methods of local agriculture, share traditional knowledge, and preserve regional food culture.
The interviewee, who was personally involved in the creation of this new project, remembers how the idea comes up from a informal conversation with the leader of the movement, regarding the new editon of the Slow Food's Award they were planning in 2004:
The first idea came from a previous event that the association used to organized, the Slow Food Award. We had this international award for the defence of the biodiversity. We had celebrated 4 editions. In 2004 more 900 people were supposed to attend the ceremony in Naples, including journalists, jurors and producers coming from all parts of the world. It was a huge event and much money was needed. So, in a informal conversation with Carlo Petrini, we talked about the need of organizing a big event, because, otherwise, there is no reason to invest so many resources, the award has gained political significance. So, we decided to change everything and invest in a project that makes sense to the people this award was dedicated to. Protagonists were the “food communities”, those farmers, peasants, fishers, chefs, but also people from the University, teachers, and journalists. It was going another revolution to Slow Food because we also decided to organize it in the same date than the Salone del Gusto
The aim was to organize an international meeting, during the Salone del Gusto, able to capture the attention of policy-makers and media
Protagonists would be the producers coming from all over the world and other like-minded people. An assembly, where to talk of agriculture, denouncing, giving the voice to the people who fight environmental degradation
Finally, the first edition of Terra Madre was organized in Turin, from October 20 to 23. The event was conceived as a four-day forum of discussion (the structure was similar than similar to a university’s conference) with plenary assemblies -with keynote lectures on target themes- and simultaneous meetings (a total of 60 tracks) dedicated to talking about products and environmental problems.
The simultaneous event Salone del Gusto provides also insiders with opportunities for training and reflection”. But the aim of Terra Madre was not telling the producers how to do better their work. On the contrary, they are the experts on the field and they were the protagonists of the event. As the vicepresident of Slow Food Italy explains: "Terra Madre was born to provide a learning space and opportunity to meet all those who have found sustainable solutions for the agro-industrial sector, a mutual training experience that leads to the multiplication of those models and situations”[1].
Terra Madre also constitutes a critical moment in the Slow Food Italy timeline due to the increasing political dimension that the iniative gains as a result of the event. After Terra Madre 2004, Slow Food develops a political discourse. Slow Food associates start to be more aware of environmental and global issues.
It is also a slow growing process within the organization. Every local chapter feel part of an international movement. They know that Slow Food has an important positive impact at a large global scale. This is very useful. Terra Madre is also essential to generate this perception. Terra Madre enhances people’s awareness and knowledge on the global problems that the mainstream food production and distribution system has. For example, coffee producers explain their problems in Terra Madre. Then, when one’s pay 1,10€ for a coffee, in Italy, one’s know that this is that the peasant earns in a month
The idea of Terra Madre arises in May 2003 in a meeting in Florence, when the interviewee meet with Carlo Petrini and discuss the objective of the Slow Food Award Ceremony that they were organizing. Carlo Petrini was the president of Slow Food Italy, as well as the main spokesperson of the Slow Food movement. He is well-known for his creativity and charismatic leadership, and Terra Madre was “another Petrini brainwave”.
After this first idea, a small team of experienced Slow Food leaders -Petrini, Cinzia Scaffidi, Bogliotti, Vallauri, Paolo di Croce, Roberto Burdese- started to work on the project. As we said, teamwork coordination was in hand of people with experience of international projects and ‘capable of putting other people under pressure’ but new partners and volunteers were also needed and a team of 14 people was working in Bra for the future Terra Madre.
However, from the beginning, they were aware that so much ambitious project could not be done on their own. They needed the support of other institutions that could “believe in the project”. Then, in the following months, President Petrini holds meetings with the Turin city council, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Piedmont Regional Authority. But Slow Food Italy gained the positive feedback of the Indian leadership Vandana Shiva and the IFOAM director, Bernard Geier. The support of the Ministry, the Regional Authority, and Turin city council led to the creation of a dedicated committee for the promotion of the event and the transparent management of its finances.
The founding members of Terra Madre Foundation include the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, the Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Piedmont Regional Authority, The City of Turin, Slow Food International Association and Slow Food Italy. Besides, the international context was also favourable to the project. Slow Food had the good experience of organizing the Salone del Gusto in 1996, which had been a success in Italy. It has also become an interesting event to people -mainly food producers- from all regions of the World. Slow Food also had started the “Ark of Taste” (1996) and the “Presidia” (2000) project.
The organization was growing up in the global context, with national associations not only in many European countries (Spain, Germany, France, and Switzerland) but in Australia, USA, Mexico, Japan. Slow Food leaders handle the concept of “food communities” and they invited them to attend the meeting. It should be noticed that the Slow Food’s pioneers were high educated people who loved travelling and had good contacts and friends abroad:
They had this international profile due to their previous experience, before Slow Food, they love travelling. Carlo Petrini, the founder had extend experience organizing the Italian traditional music festival for years. He had contacts and friends around the world, which helped a lot”. Slowfood leaders and personal contacts in other countries suggested new people to invite. Finally, a total of 80 communities confirmed their attendance to the first Terra Madre
Related events mentioned by the interviewee refer to two other critical moments in the timeline of Slow Food Italy. The first of all was the mentioned celebration of the bianual Salone del Gusto in the city of Turin (North of Italy). The first edition of the Salone Internazionale del Gusto (“the International Hall of Taste”) was celebrated in November 1996 with the goal of creating a specific space where small, local food producers (peasants, farmers, etc.) meet together and could present their (traditional) products. Salone del Gusto has become, after four editions, an international big event oriented to people connected to agriculture and gastronomic fields.
The Salone del Gusto was an important experience for the team in charge of Terra Madre. Besides, the relevance that mass media give to the event, since the first edition, gave reputation and credibility to Slow Food network (e.g. Carlo Petrini was named “European Hero by Time Magazine in 2004). This reputation and positive experience facilitate the support of public institutions to Terra Madre and future events.
The second later event evoked by the interviewee is not a direct consequence of Terra Madre, but relates with it. It was mentioned that Terra Madre was created to be a space for learning, where small food producers could discuss, find solutions and learn from each other (in formal and informal spaces). The same objective of educate (current and future) Slow Food members grounded the creation -in 2004- of the Slow Food University in Italy:
We were concern about the content of the curricula in Agriculture faculties about gastronomy, economy, health, was not enough, at least from our eco-gastronomic perspective (...) Our University was something extremely important to complete the profile of a professional degree for trained people, academics, providing them more scientific insights related to food culture, sustainability-oriented knowledge
Despite the small dimension of the university, the interviewee perceives that the center has contributed to increase the external reputation of Slow Food Italy as well as it is an motive of pride for practitioners and associates. The spirit of Terra Madre (an international network able to create a cultural revolution within the food system) is also present at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. It was conceived as an international center open to students from all parts of the work that look for new knowledge and new methods of learning.
It is a very small university. If you count all students, we are about 600 people. In Italy Here are universities that do not know how many students they have!. Ours is small but the atmosphere is highly international. Fifty per cent of students are not Italian, which is weird in Italy, because the average is 3%. In our university we teach all classes in English, it is easier for foreigners. Italians (Slow Food) associates are very proud of their own College. It is a reality that many families want to send their children to continue learning here with us. On the other hand, the condotta (Slow Food Italy’s local chapters) have a point of reference to know something, to obtain information, resources, a conference or a talk. It is a source of knowledge as well as a source of reputation for the association
The interviewed did not report any opposition regarding the critical turning point. The main promoter was the charismatic Carlo Petrini, the former president of Slow Food Italy and current President of the Slow Food International Association. Petrini was supported as well by the main leaders of Slow Food Italy, founders, pioneers, high experienced people with good connections that managed to obtain external fundraising and institutional support, even from the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.
However, as it was happened in the first edition of Salone del Gusto (1996), the first edition was “in petit comité”, without public. But there were many protests from the public (that visit the Salone del Gusto) that wanted to attend the debates with food producers. People were very interested in the topics that we were going to discuss (in the assemblies and small groups). We decided to open some spaces for the public in the following edition (2008). Definitely, in 2010, both Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto were organized as only one big event, with one common (food) market that gathers the Slow Food products (mainly from the Ark of Taste and Presidia projects) and the farmers, peasants and fisher that produce them -and chefs who cook them-.
It was a great moment, the Salone was focused on the product, the food that is exhibited and sold. While, the focus of Terra Madre was on the producers that meet in the forum, they realize that they are not alone, working in s sustainable way. Both events complement each other. They are the two faces of the same sphere
Concerning the anticipation of the outcomes of Terra Madre, the interviewee agrees that the project was understood as a critical turning point from the very beginning. Or, at least, it was meant to be a critical moment for the association, that would able to “make the difference” in the Slow Food ambition to influence the society and politics. Expectations were also higher.
Based on previous experiences (like Salone del Gusto), the organizers figure out that 5,000 people (others talked about 10.000) would be interested in participating in the first edition, including food producers as well as cooks, teachers, experts that are part of a “new sort of food community”. As the number of participants was limited by the organization, the first Terra Madre conference (2004) was attended by 5,000 delegates from over 130 countries. The second edition (2006) (October 26 to October 30), Terra Madre drew over 9,000 participants. Since 2010, the event is free and open to the public, and in numbers, the 2014 edition attracted 220,000 visitors from over 60 countries[1].
Besides, Slow Food launched the Terra Madre network during the celebration of the inaugural meeting in 2004. that meant the kick off of an active networking activity conducted by the Slow Food International Association that increased the presence of Slow in African continent, Latin American or Asian countries. The spirit of the Italian gathering inspired other Terra Madre regional meetings over the world. Nowadays, the network has overcome the initial objectives and became a global network itself. Also, from previous experiences, the interviewee and her colleagues have learnt that people- at least food activists- are eager to know more about food topics and issues. They have observed an evolution on the profile of people that attend the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre events. In spite of being occasions for pleasure and fun, people also want to learn more:
Over the years, our public has changed, and the public that attend other activities, like Cheese or Slow Food has also changed. They are always very entertaining events, but people do not come just to eat, they come to learn. All lectures are always full. All discussions. We realized that there is a qualified public, who wants to know that not only purchase comes and goes. On the contrary, attendees ask to producers about the origin and quality of the ingredients, the process of production, etc. (...) We organize taste workshops, which are guided tastings, that require to pay a ticket. Look, a person pays 20 euros to enter in the Salone and then he or she is willing to pay 5 € to each taste workshop! This is a high motivated public; it is a good example of people's level of interest
[1] SOURCE: http://www.salonedelgusto.com/en/loving-the-earth-the-theme-of-this-years-terra-madre-salone-del-gusto
Terra Madre emphasizes the ethical, political and social dimensions of eating habits by creating a new kind of socially and ecologically aware consumerism. Slow food claims a new way of living and eating, that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to fair and sustainable patterns of production. The interviewee affirms that Terra Madre helps people to understand where food comes from, how it was produced and by whom, changing the goals and the identity of the movement:
Since 2004 it was easier to everybody to comprehend that a commitment to slow food also involves the politics of consumption. All we do when we buy, what we decide to eat and where to buy, all means politics. That was evident to our people. After Terra Madre 2004, there is a change of vision, from hedonism to political activism.
Since Terra Madre Slow Food intensified the rhetoric of social justice (by coining the term “co-producer”), highlighting the power of the consumer to enact political change. Besides, participating in Terra Madre also seems to introduce changes in individual’s frames, attitudes and behaviours, like daily habits: cooking, food selection or which places where to buy. Also, The arising ethical responsibility regarding the food shift the traditional defence of “the right to pleasure” to the motto of “Good, Clean and Fair” food:
The idea of the right to pleasure, especially within the Catholic Italian society was provocative. But, the right to pleasure involves everybody’s pleasure. I mean the same right to everyone in the world. Indeed, my pleasure can’t be sustained on others submission
Slow Food also learn, according to the interviewee that many people in the world feel identify themselves with the Slow Food movement despite not being a formal member. Identity goes beyond membership and involves common culture and worldviews:
“We have observe that many people feel part of Slow Food. People who share the same ideals and they conduct similar initiatives worldwide. Feeling a member of Slow Food does not relate with being an associate. Paying 25 € per year is not considered by essential to be part of the movement. This is very fulfilling. You have many supporters. However, sometimes, being a big organization, with many associates is important. For instance, in political discussions, when you have to acreditate or talk on behalf the movement, be able to give a relevant number of affiliates it is important, you have more power”.
A third learning that Slow Food Italy extracts from the experience of Terra Madre is related to the need of creating networks of like-minded people, from many domains and disciplines, which could contribute –from a multidisciplinary perspective- to the protection of the biodiversity, the environment and the conservation of traditional agriculture in rural areas.
“Traditionally, even in the 70s, when social movement arise, all of them were separated. Gourmets on one side. Ecologists dealing with other things but not agriculture. Organic farmers were like a sect. They did not trust anyone. Separations should be over”
That was the goal that Terra Madre pursuits, to unite small-scale farmers and food activists in order to discuss methods of local agriculture, share knowledge and present innovative solutions to current and future issues.
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