This is a CTP of initiative: Slow Food Italy
The critical turning point consists on the constitution of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, founded in 2003 by both Slow Food Italy and the Slow Food International Association. The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity was set up to be the operational body for the coordination and fundraising of Slow Food international projects, concretely those aimed to protect food biodiversity at global scale. The Foundation was registered, in accordance with the Italian law, as a non-profit social organization.
We created the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, which is a non-profit organization, under the official recognition of the Italian Government. Despite being launched by Slow Food Italy, we aimed to support Slow Food projects worldwide, such as the Presidia, the Ark of Taste, Terra Madre, etc. The Foundation is 50% owned by Slow Food Italy and the Slow Food International Association owns the other 50%. We should remember that, in 2003, Slow Food Italy was the largest national association in number of members, in special in the North of Italy
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity strives to increase people awareness on environmental issues as well as to enhance food producers’ wellbeing, contributing to sustainability of rural communities. With these aims, The Slow Food Foundation has launched a number of international projects such as the Ark of Taste (an online catalogue of endangered food products) or the Presidia project. Besides, through the Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance and Earth Markets Slow Food fosters more egalitarian relations between producers and consumers. In special, Slow Food associates are profoundly proud of the new project “10,000 food gardens in Africa” which has enabled the creation of 887 gardens in African continent, supporting (and funding) local communities that take responsibility on fostering local agriculture.
The foundation has the chance to spread the Slow Food movement worldwide. We launch new projects and sustain them over time. We monitor our projects and support them. Although Slow Food associations worldwide conduct projects on their own, we provide them support from here (N.A. The Foundation has its operational headquarters in Bra). Throughout the Foundation, we are capable to have more impact on the ground, we have influence, at the same time that we coexist in harmony with all national associations
The evolution of the Slow Food movement is inextricably tied to the work developed by its Foundation. The environmental discourse of Slow Food gains in complexity at the same time that the Foundation expands to Latin America, East Europe, Africa. Nowadays, the Slow Food Foundation works in over 100 countries, with thousands of small-scale food producers, providing them with technical assistance, training and communication resources.
In special, Slow Food associates are profoundly proud of the new project “10,000 food gardens in Africa” which has enabled the creation of 887 gardens in African continent, supporting (and funding) local communities that take responsibility on fostering local agriculture. The Slow Food Foundation is involved, currently, in the task of measuring (quantitative and qualitative) the results that one of their main projects -Presidia- achieves in terms of environmental, cultural and social impact.
The Foundation has strong influence in the history of Slow Food Italy in terms of international impact. The whole association has changed over time. We are an international family now. For Slow Food, is very important what we are doing in Africa. It is remarkable. If we did not create the Foundation, I think the Slow Food movement would not be the same, for example, in terms of the capacity of influence in other countries. Before the Foundation, Slow Food’s leverage was occasional, punctual. Now, the Slow Food foundation for Biodiversity enables opportunities of intervention on the ground, we are able to develop activities in other countries, even in Latin America or Africa
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity was created under the auspices of both Slow Food International Association and Slow Food Italy 1993, after seven years of existence of Slow Food Italy. The interviewee posits that this critical tuning point has been coproduced in the European context, where population manifest an increasing environmental awareness in the first half of the 1990s (also, 1992 Rio Conference contributed to that). Slow Food leaders are highly concern about the loss of food biodiversity resulting of agriculture mass production practices and started to think about the neediness of creating a new body to carry on sustainable projects. The Foundation is endowed, principally, with the donations of Slow Food associates. It also receives funding from private businesses, public authorities, foundations and other entities. The interviewee remarks the relevance of being supported by multiple founders, which contributes to the autonomy of the Slow Food movement as well as enhances empowerment and social impact of the movement worldwide:
Of course. That is the strength of Slow Food. A small association like this is able to reach agreements with institutions and developing common projects, not only in Italy, but worldwide. And we are able to do it even with the collaboration of market companies. However, apart from the contribution of the region of Tuscany, few institutions provide economic support. Those who really financially support the foundation are the Slow Food convivia. Our local chapters, from Italy and the rest of the world, but many of them are Italian
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity is run by its President, Piero Sardo and Serena Milano, the General Secretary, under the supervision of Board of Directors. This counselling board is made up of ten representatives from the Slow Food movement, including the Carlo Petrini and the General Secretary of Slow Food International, Paolo di Croce. Besides, although the headquarters of the Foundation is located in the city of Bra (Italy), a network of local collaborators also coordinates projects in a hundred of countries. In this term, the interviewee highlights that most of the field work is carried out by thousands of volunteers and associates which disseminate the discourse of Slow Food, endorsing the work that Slow Food leaders do:
Of course, Slow Food leaders have been important in our pathway. But these leaders represent a common vision shared by the majority. Leaders are not crazy or enlightened people that work alone. They could talk about utopias, but would not represent a general feeling. However, in the case of slow food, their importance is evident. I can feel it. They are important
Another significant figure is Piero Sardo, one of the founders of the Slow Food movement, which has been president of the Slow Food Foundation since 2004. His role has been fundamental for the development of the organization, being the Slow Food’s spokesman for biodiversity and sustainable agriculture topics (1). Previously, Piero Sardo had been the Vice President of Slow Food and, in 1996, he contributed in creating the Ark of Taste. According to Slow Food, he conceived some of Slow Food’s most important projects (Ark of Taste, Presidia, Earth Markets etc.) and he has been involved in numerous Slow Food campaigns, for example, enhancing correct labeling for quality products (Narrative Labels) or guaranteeing animal welfare.
(1) N.A. Sardo has also experience in communication (in the past, he was the director of the weekly newspaper Brasette and collaborates with various newspapers and television stations, including L'Espresso, GenteViaggi, Panorama Travel, Panorama, etc.) and gastronomy (He has been a key collaborator in the Vini d’Italia guide and he has authored several books: “Il Buon Paese”, “Cheeses of Italy” and “Cheeses of Europe”).
The interviewee mentions a number of projects that Slow Food Italy, through the Foundation for biodiversity, has been able to conduct, over fifteen years, worldwide. Aiming to protect their agrifood heritage, Italian Slow Food activists launched in the 90s the Ark of Taste online catalogue and, in 2000, the Presidia project. The neediness of coordinating both international scale projects motivated the creation of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, "as an operational body to organize the work".
The project was launched in 2010 at the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre in Turin. In spring 2011, 15 national project coordinators met in Pollenzo, Italy, and worked with experts from the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity to decide how to set up the project and what kind of food gardens should be created. In 2012, the project “A Thousand Gardens in Africa” was the main focus of the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre. In only four years, the Foundation has enabled the creation of 2.578 edible gardens that facilitates the access to healthy, fresh food, but also training a network of young local leaders capable of putting in value their land and their culture. The celebration of 2012 Terra Madre involves another critical event in Slow Food Italy timeline, which introduces a radical change in the vision and discourse of the movement:
2012 Slow Food Congress signified a change in the philosophy of slow food. It is a pivotal moment. It means the change from being a gastronomic association and becoming an environmental association (..) Still now, the topic of environment is important for the association. The access to good, fair, democratic food. We are now moving from a focus on good (food) to put the focus on the environment, in the defense of clean and fair (food), prioritizing environmental conservation. We are living now a period of transformation, and all these changes are not understood by everyone
In the period 2012-2016 Slow Food’s reputation and political impact grow in the international sphere. The political commitment of Slow Food Italy has increased significantly, campaigning against GMO and the defense of the landscape. In the European context, the association pursues a common political agenda for food grounded on sustainability. Internationally, in 2013 Slow Food signed an agreement with the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) aiming to collaborate for the promotion of inclusive agriculture and food systems.
“Indeed, after 2012 we started a campaign with many allies. I think we have already signed too many campaigns. We have even signed an agreement with the FAO. But the results are not very good. I would like to see more results because, sometimes good intentional protocols are signed but they do not materialize in concrete projects or solutions
Concerning arising critics within the initiative, the interviewee does not speak about manifesting opposition against the constitution of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity that, obviously, was supported by the most of Slow Food Italy associates. However, later related events did provoke contestation of disagreement among the associates.
Concretely, the interviewee refers to the change of vision and philosophy that Slow Food introduces within the movement during the celebration of the 2012 Slow Food International Congress hosted in Turin. In this event, the movement ratifies the new guiding policy document “The Central Role of Food”[1], which means the kick off of a new political economical and relational position contesting current unsustainable and unfair food system. As the interviewee explains, internal discussions arise within the movement, regarding people’s consumption behaviours and expected coherence with personal and group values and principles. Some practitioners perceive that, in certain way, they are losing their identity.
Opposition exists because there are people who want to continue eating and drinking good quality food, and wonders why in Italy they have to worry about what happens in Uganda. It is a minority, of course, but there is still a generation of Slow Food leaders and members who are reluctant to caring environmental issues. Such opinion is not only shared by Italian partners but others worldwide. The issue of animal abuse, animal care... We worry about animal´s welfare. We do not endorse foie grass and other similar products. And many partners disagree
Slow Food´s hedonistic approach (which is so attractive to many of them, mostly veteran members) is dismissed by ecological or ethical considerations. For instance, currently Slow Food claims to reduce meat consumption (“slow meat) or “special consumption” (shellfish, lamb or baby goat, game, foie grass, etc.) on behalf animal’s welfare, which is a matter of discussion:
That is the most controversial issue. Not all associates agree to limit meat consumption, because eating is a pleasure! For example, the foie grass is a pleasure, but of course, animal abuse is more important than the pleasure we can get. In my opinion, animal welfare should prevail. But there are people who disagree with me. Now there are many supermarkets in Italy also selling products with cultural and environmental value. Not everyone agrees. But such minority positions are nor a problem anymore because a firm position has been adopted by the organization and we will keep going in this way
According to the results of a survey conducted in 2013 by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity among the European Slow Food Members [2], the mentioned opposition seems to be decreasing overtime, due to the fact that the majority of European Slow Food members manifest to be worried by the impact of meat production and consumption on the environment and human health and 90% of members indicated that they would be willing to spend more for animal-friendly products.
[1] Source: http://slowfood.com/filemanager/official_docs/SFCONGRESS2012__Central_role_of_food.pdf
[2] Survey’s report available in: http://www.slowfood.com/sloweurope/wp-content/uploads/ING_sondaggio_benessere.pdf
The creation of the Foundation was foreseen as a critical turning point since the first moment, at least for the leaders of Slow Food Italy who propelled, in 2003, the creation of the new organization. Besides, previous events (e.g. the success of Salone del Gusto) permitted them to anticipate the necessity of a new operational instrument to manage and funding the Slow Food projects. Meanwhile, in the previous years, Italian associates perceived an increasing environmental awareness that sustains a change of paradigm within the association. Petrini and colleagues start to endorse a new “eco-gastronomy” paradigm, standing for a new perspective to look at the food production system closely related to biodiversity conservation.
Along with this new discourse of changing the food system, Slow Food claims to be a pragmatic organization, able to provide “political and pragmatic proposals to face the main global issues” as well as to perform transformative projects in the field. Slow Food supports alternative small scale production and consumption systems "because the future of agricultural systems will be produced in the local context", which also requires the empowerment of local communities and community leaders. Unlike other existing NGOs, Slow Food proposed from the beginning a model of intervention based on identifying and training of local leaders who take care of the Slow Food projects. As the interviewee explains, Slow Food leaders also anticipated the convenience of this new methodology:
We had this original but successful intuition. We firmly believe that we needed to find local people able to carry out our projects on the ground. And we needed to coach them. We had to contact to local leaders, trained them, and encourage them to take responsibility on the project. That was how the made the difference. The main reason for having achieved our noted social impact is working with local people from the very beginning (…) If we teach local people, they feel responsible of running the project. They feel they can work on their own territory and building their own future. In my opinion, many NGOs, at least in these days, conducted projects in the field but they did not really have contact with the community. We wanted to be different and we did it
Being asked about learning, the interviewee explains some lessons he draws from his personal experience working for the Slow Food Foundation. As Slow Food Foundation has been created as a partnership between Slow Food Italy and Slow Food International, most of the work is coordinated from Italy. However, the interviewee was reluctant to classical method of NGOs project management and they design an appropriate method for conducting Slow Food projects (like Presidia or community gardens) on the ground (1). Starting the Foundation has been a learning by doing process and, after 15 years, the interviewee has changed his first opinion as the following quote explains:
Initially, when we decided to create the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity I did not agree with the legal form chosen by Slow Food. Legally, it is a non-profit organization. I was not convinced to work as any NGO. What NGOs do is writing a hundred of projects, but eventually only get funds for few of them. And they survive year by year, project by project. But, in the end, after more than fifteen years, after all the trips and the projects we did, I've changed my mind. I have been many times in Africa and Latin America and I realized that what we do is useful. I learn that we can really conduct projects in developed countries and make the difference. And our projects are mainly sustained with donations from citizens, mostly members of slow food
Secondly, learning can be observed, according to the interviewee, also in Slow Food Italy associates. Due to their participation within the Slow Food movement, they were more aware of global issues (regarding food system) and their capacity to change or improve people’s quality of life. Besides, concerning the internal organization, associates have learnt about the importance of becoming an international network, with presence in almost 150 countries. The Italian initiative realized they need to have an international approach and visualizing what all Slow Food associations do worldwide. For this reason, the 2012 Slow Food International Conference gathered representatives of all the regions of the world, with delegates from 95 different countries, giving voice to both Global North and Global and indigenous peoples.
The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity permitted Italian associates to understand that any Slow Food initiative, from any part of the world, had the same importance as the Italian partner. And we learn that each convivia has the same ability to do things and initiate projects anywhere in the world, even in developed countries, in Latin America, in Africa
A third lesson that the interviewee extract from the critical turning point relates to the pragmatic side of the Slow Food movement. Slow Food leaders remark the capacity of Slow Food to come true their Utopian visions. Slow food discourse is powerful and has gained in coherence and complexity overtime. Slow Food leaders have published a number of books that describe their alternative vision regarding the food system that served as inspiration for new associations and local initiatives worldwide. However, Slow Food practitioners have learned that alternative discourses and proposals should be grounded on reality:
The idea is Utopian. But if we analyse the continuous evolution of slow food, if we trace the pathway, we see that our work is grounded on the field. Slow Food is not just a theory, it has a practical basis. This is our big strength, which is the reason for our great impact on the world. We do not share just an idea, a discourse, but we also are capable of demonstrating that revolution is also possible! I do not like to talk about Utopia, if there is not a practical side. The strength of a leader like Carlo Petrini is that, when she says that we must defend small production systems, Slow Food provides examples that demonstrate that out thesis are possible and that we are do what we say
(1) The Foundation contact and train local leaders (most of them volunteers) able to run the project and provide them technical support, communication skills and (financial, material) resources to do their work, which guarantees the continuity of the project and local communities have competences to build new projects on their own.
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