Terra Madre conference reveals Slow Food at crossroads
Around the Oval Lingotto, the massive sports complex built to host some of the events at the 2006 Winter Olympics, the buses were moving at a glacial pace. But last week it was 6,000 farmers, fishermen and food artisans from more than 132 countries that had descended upon the halls of the Palasport Olimpico, and they were here to discuss the future of the world's food supply. This was the Terra Madre conference -- a gathering of those who swear by the Slow Food International manifesto -- held every two years in conjunction with the Salone del Gusto, the largest artisanal food fair in the world.
The conference, billed as an informal opportunity for "peasants" from around the world to converge and discuss common issues with the global food system, opened with addresses by Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini, notable food activists Vandana Shiva and Alice Waters, and a bevy of Italian officials, as well as a prerecorded video message from Prince Charles.
For me and the rest of my American cohorts, the conference came at the harrowing juncture of a critical American election and a burgeoning worldwide financial crisis. What emerged for us coming into this conference was the question of how relevant this event would be, given these crazy times. It was not a question lost on Terra Madre's organizers -- Slow Food leaders who aim to bring together an international network of communities to fight the abandonment of traditional food culture and the homogenization of the world's table.
An inspired premise, to be sure, but critics think the movement (in the U.S., especially) has devolved into a now-clichéd food faction for the well-heeled, wine-swishing crowd. We were curious to see how the conference would address the need for a Slow Food makeover, and how we ourselves could rethink its ideals.
In First World nations, Slow Food has relied on a trickle-down method to change the way we eat: The wealthy demand organic and fair-trade products, mainstream grocers begin to stock them, and this access slowly begins to benefit a larger demographic. The organization admits the need to revisit this model, hence the themes at this year's conference: "social justice," "food equality," even "food security."
Like at most large conferences, discussion topics stayed general. We gathered in "Earth workshops" to talk about crop monoculture, biofuels, commodities speculation and climate change. And though few doubted the importance of addressing these topics, the sheer diversity of the delegates made it difficult to discuss the issues with any meaningful substance.
