Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto, the Slow Food Movement’s largest international event, officially kicked off in the Philippines last October 5. The six-month event program features an engaging calendar of events dedicated to good, clean, and fair food and small-scale agriculture around the world. 

Organized by Slow Food International, the City of Turin in Italy, and the Region of Piedmont in cooperation with MIPAAF (the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies) and MATTM (the Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection), the event revolves around the theme “Our Food. Our Planet. Our Future,” to unite the public against the climate and environmental crisis which affects every aspect of life while putting the spotlight on the massive role that food plays in society. 

“Food is important in preserving the life of our planet. The entire connection between and consumers, the local production, and knowing where food comes from is what we want to put into the center of our activities,” said Paolo Di Croce, the Secretary General of Slow Food International during the official launch video of the event aired on Slow Food Manila’s Facebook page. 

He added that with the COVID-19 pandemic, it highlighted the need for a community where people stick together and work together to come up with a solution on how to overcome adversities. 

“The concept of a community is the capability to share experiences, problems, resources, knowledge but also coming up with solutions focusing on the common good. This is the solution for the future. Food is a global network of local communities where several communities around the world are fighting for a better food system,” Di Croce said. 

Founded in 1989, Slow Food International is a global organization whose goal is to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, and combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat among others. 

Calendar of events 

From October 2020 to April 2021, the worldwide event program offers both physical and digital activities which include voices, stories, and contributions from 160 countries worldwide. 

In the Philippines, Terra Madre focuses on the themes of food sovereignty, regenerative agriculture, and the need to support local communities.

A series of free online talks starting October 31st will be made available from 6PM onwards via live broadcast in Slow Food Negros’s Facebook page to discuss how the region applies Slow Food principles in their everyday lives to raise awareness on good, clean, and fair food available in the country. 

The schedule of events are as follows: 

October 31: Slow Food Negros Community, Slow Cheese and Slow Cacao.

November 7: Urban Gardening.

November 14: Philippine Native Trees.

November 21: Food from the Forest.

November 28: Food Biodiversity.

December 5: Philippine Coffee.

Meanwhile, other events such as talks and forums will also be available all around the world starting October 8. These activities will tackle climate and environment issues, sustainability, ideas for a better food system, and more. 

Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto will conclude with the Slow Food International Congress in April 2021. 

For more information and updates, visit Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto or Slow Food Manila on Facebook. 

Read more about farming and gardening at agriculture.com.ph.