Our plane landed in Milan around 8 am and a bus full of delegates to Terra Madre (‘Mother Earth’) headed to Turin. The fog was dense and there was not much to see. Some weary travelers caught up on much needed sleep and others chatted about what brought them to the conference. This was the 3rd Terra Madre gathering and there were approximately 7000 delegates representing around 150 countries. Delegates were farmers, artisans, or educators for the most part. The diversity was astounding, apparent even in the line for the bathroom where I stood with women from Tanzania, India, and England.
Once we were registered we found some of our hotel mates that farm on the Alabama-Georgia line. They were headed to Salone Internazionale del Gusto, the world’s largest artisanal food fair happening in conjunction with and right next door to the conference. They were sampling and selling cured meats, cheeses, wine, olive oil, vinegars, chocolate, beer, baked goods, and many other things. It was too overwhelming to buy anything so we tasted and took pictures and hoped we’d remember where in this maze our favorite vendors were. I had an espresso size cup of creamy hot chocolate that was unforgettable, a plate of 4 different styles of cured salmon, fried olives, and more cured ham and cheese than is healthy. It was all so incredibly unique and delicious it was hard to stop yourself. This show was open to the public, at a cost, and it felt like half of Italy was crammed between these stalls.
The opening ceremony for Terra Madre was scheduled after a long day of traveling. We were jolted out of our jetlag and prosciutto haze by figures covered in animal skins and large bells bouncing across the stadium floor, where we were seated for the ceremony. They were performing a traditional Sardinian dance thousands of years old. It was trancical and I couldn’t shut my eyes even though I wanted to. They were followed by a worldly rhythm accompanying representatives of each country attending the conference and each proudly carrying their flag.
For opening and closing ceremonies and Earth Workshops we were given headsets and then the messages were translated into 8 languages. The president of Terra Madre addressed us, as did the mayor of Torino (Turin) and an official from the Piedmont region. I dozed in and out of their speeches fighting to stay awake. What woke me up was Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse and vice president of Slow Food International, taking the stage. She only said a few words and then introduced a pre-recorded message from HRH Prince Charles. He attended the first Terra Madre in person but was unable to make it this time. His message conveyed his full support of the meeting the people, and the cause. The other vice-president of Slow Food International is Dr. Vandana Shiva, a world renowned scientist and environmentalist and the next to speak. She left her academic job (she holds a Doctorate in Quantum Theory) to start the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology in order “to protect biodiversity, defend farmer’s rights, and promote organic farming.” She also keeps a very close eye on industrial agriculture and specifically genetically modified seeds. Her presence on stage immediately commanded the attention of the entire stadium.
The youngest speaker at the opening ceremony was Sam Levin, a 16 year old boy that co-founded Project Sprout, “an organic, student-run garden on the grounds of Monument High School in Great Barrington, Mass.” The garden serves as an educational tool, “building connections with nature and food”, while also providing fresh, organic produce for the cafeteria.
The best speaker was saved for last, founder of Slow Food Carlo Petrini. He urged everyone to enjoy Terra Madre and after a sleepy bus ride to our hotel, we were greeted with a traditional meal of the Piedmont region. There was homemade wine and the crunchy breadsticks that are found on every table in Italy. We ate sweet cream filled biscuits, roasted peppers in bagna couda (a regional sauce made of garlic and anchovies), risotto with porcini mushrooms, veal with creamy mashed potatoes, and hazelnut gelato cake with berries and hazelnut chocolate syrup. This meal confirmed that we were, in fact, in Italy.
Early the next morning breakfast was all laid out and it was still impossible to resist the ham, cheese, and croissants. There was nothing on the schedule for that morning so we went to see the vendors in Salone Internazionale del Gusto that we hadn’t gotten to the day before. We also admired the many countries that had set up small stations displaying their countries unique goods for purchase in the open spaces of the main conference area. This was a true world market. Lunch was provided for all of the delegates, but it did require standing in line for an hour if you wanted to eat at a regular lunch hour. There were three Guatemalan men and a large xylophone accompanying our wait that made it enjoyable. Once again, a most diverse line to stand in.
That afternoon we had our regional meeting, Slow Food USA. Opening remarks were made by the Executive Director (Erika Lesser), the President of Slow Food USA (Josh Viertel), and one of the Vice-Presidents of Slow Food International (Alice Waters). They spoke of Main Street, a popular topic these days, saying that instead of them all having Olive Gardens they should have vegetable gardens. We saw the reality of this while riding in buses and trains around Italy. There are no lawns there, if you have open space there are vegetables or fruits there. They were beautifully manicured and filled with cauliflower, fennel, leeks, and so on. I am inclined to admire gardens, but no one could deny that the variety of shapes and colors provide a superior landscape to that of grass and shrubs. I hope to one day encourage more Americans to convert their lawns into gardens. If as much time were spent caring for a gardens as lawns more families could begin to feed themselves and I for one would enjoy the landscape more. Out with the leaf blowers and in with the digging forks!
Another topic addressed in the opening remarks was the topic of “fair” food, stressing the importance of paying farmers a fair price and also making clean, healthy food available to those it may not be now. This intrigued me and in the future I would like to implement a program where those CSA members that are interested can help us fund shares for families who otherwise would not be able to have one but would appreciate the produce. CSA members would nominate people that they know.
There were many other speakers from around the country sharing the amazing projects they are involved in (check out some of the links at the bottom for more information). Some highlights were the Green Mountain College Food and Farm Project. The full time farmer employed there was one of our delightful hotel mates. Another interesting speaker was Winona LaDuke of the North American Indigenous Delegation. She was passionate and deservedly proud of her communities win in a battle to prevent genetically engineered wild rice production, saying that the rice is a “sacred relative” and a part of them. The final speaker was Will Allen, a 2008 MacArthur Fellow, and his daughter Erika Allen. Mr. Allen is the founder and CEO of Growing Power, an urban farm and learning center in Milwaulkee. They too stressed the fair aspect of the Slow Food motto “Good, Clean, Fair”.
During all of this inspirational speaking and hearing how important our work is I couldn’t help but feel that we should be in our garden right now doing this important work. I was feeling guilty for leaving our garden and antsy to return to work but another remarkable Italian meal was waiting on us when we arrived home to our hotel. That night at dinner we felt like family. A long table full of farmers chatting away about their farms and passing pictures. During dessert we were accompanied by one of the owner’s family members. Warmed by the wine and food and immersed in his Italian song, the guilt slowly disappeared.
There were several Earth Workshops each day. One was especially moving and motivating, the Future of Climate and Food. In this session there was a panel of three women involved in the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture. This commission published its 3rd manifesto on the future of food, this one titled the Manifesto on Climate Change and the Future of Food Security. The commission is comprised of 26 members from different countries (mostly developed) and diverse backgrounds though they all pertain to agriculture and/or food. The chair of the commission is Vandana Shiva, who spoke at the opening ceremony. The Manifesto states that the current industrial agriculture and food system is responsible for ¼ of greenhouse gas emissions and that diversified organic farms serving local communities counteract this. It argues that these issues must be a part of the discussion as well as the solution to climate change. To read and sign the manifesto, go to www.future-food.org.
What we found to be more interesting and less crowded than the Salone Internazionale del Gusto was the Presidia section of artisan vendors. This program is run by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. The goal is to “guarantee a viable future for traditional foods by stabilizing production techniques, establishing stringent production standards, and promoting local consumption.” An Alabama raw cheese was there in a booth with North American raw cheeses. Sweet Home Dairy is in Baldwin County and I can’t wait to go down for a visit and to buy some delicious, sustainably produced, artisan cheese right here in Alabama. There were some vegetables present and we did bring back some seeds for beautifully, crisp, sweet peppers. Some varieties of garlic and eggplant received the distinction also. Eventually we came away with a soft Italian cheese covered in fennel seeds, some organic olive oil that makes everything taste better, a vanilla pod, and a chocolate bar from Ecuador (which was devoured that night).
Music was yet another facet of the conference. There were 3 or 4 stages at different locations throughout the venue. Some performances that we were able to enjoy were a Brazilian group, an Italian duo of one man playing sheepskin bagpipes and another gentleman playing a traditional accordion.
Being a bit worn out and hungry our group was not initially thrilled at the thought of a line of speakers for the closing ceremony which began at 7 p.m. without dinner before. However, the master of ceremonies kept things lively. He reminded me of a game show host bouncing all over the stage, enthusiastically introducing speakers and telling jokes. The president of the Terra Madre Foundation spoke first, thanking everyone and wishing them safe travels home. An expectant mother from New Zealand spoke on the importance of agriculture in culture. The master of ceremonies then warned that the next video speech would be long, but to especially pay attention to the last few minutes. The speaker was the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini. It was a long speech and the crowd grew impatient. People turned their backs to the screen and made a great deal of noise. Human waves began rolling through the audience to pass the time. We did not hear the last couple of minutes. Carlo Petrini was next to speak and like a caring father he first expressed his disappointment and told the crowd that we must always listen even to those we disagree with. Also, he said to be patient, that he could understand why the crowd reacted the way that it did, but this is not the way to accomplish our goals. At the end of his speech the minister had invited a delegation from Terra Madre to the discussions of the G8 as an ally. Mr. Petrini went on to inspire us to continue what we are doing but also to spread the message of Terra Madre to our communities.
After all of this listening we were definitely tired and hungry but the night was young. Several men from Ethiopia took to the stage with large cylindrical drums that they placed horizontally on the stage. We slowly awoke to the rhythm they were beating and they began to dance a dance we’d never seen before. Then an Italian man appeared on the stage with a guitar and the crowd went wild. It was the lead singer for an Italian rock band – Mau Mau. This is the first rock band I’ve seen with an accordion, but there were many firsts this evening. They all played together, the Ethiopian drummers and Italian rockers. Next a lone man from Ethiopia played his harp and then a group of 2 men and 1 woman from Arctic Russia took the stage. The 2 men played traditional instruments I could not identify and the woman mimicked a seal or whale. Perhaps this was a reenactment of a hunt. Women from Senegal played huge gourds like drums and danced across the stage, two men from Belarus played bagpipes and the accordion, an Italian young man played a traditional accordion with passion, his long ponytail flying around, and all of these with Mau Mau coming in and out of accompaniment to keep it lively. There was an Italian woman singing a love song while a man and woman danced out the music erotically, even ripping off clothes. ‘Ravioli and Wine’ were the last group and they were dressed in white ruffled shirts, with red silk here and there and long black over coats. The music was traditional Italian and they bellowed out the words from deep within, “Veeerooonica, ammooorica!” To close the concert all of the musicians took to the stage together for a final blow out song. This was by far the most entertaining concert I have yet to attend and with 7000 farmers, artisans, and agriculture educators from across the globe dancing around together. We all filed out of the stadium in a cloud of euphoria and rode our buses home for the last time. This was a perfect ending to an event we’ll never forget.
Here are some links to ag-related projects happening in the U.S.
www.greenmtn.edu/farm_food.aspx