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“There is no Plan B, either we focus on sus­tain­abil­ity or we head toward envi­ron­men­tal and agri­cul­tural col­lapse,” Serena Milano, head of Slow Food’s bio­di­ver­sity foun­da­tion, told Olive Oil Times.

“The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has already stated that if soil ero­sion con­tin­ues at its present rate, in ten years the sys­tem will crash,” she added.

Starting in October, Slow Food – an inter­na­tional orga­ni­za­tion ded­i­cated to pro­mot­ing local food cul­ture and tra­di­tional pro­duc­tion – will bring together farm­ers, sci­en­tists and experts from 160 coun­tries to pro­mote a dif­fer­ent approach to the global agri­cul­tural econ­omy.

Over the course of six months and mostly via the Internet, the orga­ni­za­tion hopes to pro­pose and dis­cuss solu­tions to some of the world’s most press­ing cli­mate and agri­cul­tural prob­lems, draw­ing from the expe­ri­ences of the diverse array of par­tic­i­pants.

“We hope to be able to ana­lyze, study and exchange con­crete solu­tions to the chal­lenges we face,” Milano said. ​“Terra Madre’s approach is focus­ing on sus­tain­abil­ity and ecosys­tems, together we try to under­stand where fragili­ties lie and how we can cope.”

Milano added that Terra Madre is meant to be a global vision that focuses on pre­serv­ing bio­di­ver­sity while con­fronting global food pro­duc­tion issues. Through the series of online forums and events that will make up the event, Milano hopes to inspire debate and spark new ideas.

“Given the cur­rent sit­u­a­tion, we are at a philo­soph­i­cal cross­roads. We can choose to pro­mote agri­cul­tural tech­niques to recover a bal­anced rela­tion­ship with our lands or else we choose to avoid land from the start, invest­ing as many do in hydro­ponic fac­to­ries or in-vitro meat,” Milano said. ​“This is the time where we need to choose which direc­tion we want to pro­ceed in. That choice will shape our future.”

Terra Madre 2020 Salone del Gusto will open on October 8 in Turin, Italy, and on the project’s web­site.

• Terra Madre