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Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
More than two decades after its debut in Turin, Slow Food's Terra Madre event is heading to Brussels – combining local food, education, and advocacy to promote sustainable, local production at the heart of EU policymaking.
Founded in the mid-1980s in Piedmont, Italy, the Slow Food movement has grown into a global reference point for agroecology and food systems. Terra Madre – the movement's flagship festival - was first hosted in Turin in 2004 and has since been held across the world, from the Balkans to the Philippines, often with support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Having expanded its advocacy efforts in Brussels since 2013, Slow Food is now part of the European Commission's permanent platform on agriculture and food policy (EBAF).
Now, the organisation aims to make its presence in the EU capital more permanent. The event in Brussels, dubbed Terra Madre Europe, will take place from 22 June, and is intended to become a “recurring and strategic gathering,” according to a press release.
The aim is to influence EU lawmakers by example. The event will feature a market of Belgian and local producers, workshops on fermentation and the cultural history of tomatoes, and a meeting to discuss future strategies for agroecology and principles for sustainable production.
Trade issues
Another major issue Slow Food hopes to raise is the role of food trade.
The organisation wants to encourage the bloc to consider the impact of trade on the origin and destination of food - an issue that Slow Food president Edward Mukiibi told Euractiv is key for the organisation.
According to Mukiibi, trade encompasses not only financial and transactional aspects but also social, political, and environmental considerations. He said that although the EU’s sustainability standards are not as ambitious as they could be, applying them to imports from other countries could already help increase sustainability abroad.
Even if this could be challenging for poorer countries, Mukiibi believes that if the same standards – for example, zero pesticide residues – were applied, the benefits would outweigh the difficulties.
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