Local Production and Sustainability Highlight Terra Madre 2020

Over the course of six months, farmers, scientists and other stakeholders in the global agri-food business will propose and debate solutions to some of the sector’s most pressing issues surrounding sustainability and climate change.

“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.

We are at a philosophical crossroads. This is the time where we need to choose which direction we want to proceed in. That choice will shape our future.– , Serena Milano, head of Slow Food’s biodiversity foundation

“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.

See Also: Sustainability

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.