Field Report: Terra Madre
The diverse landscape of food and farmers
by Micaela Colley, Bulk Seed Representative

In a landscape of cultural and culinary diversity, last October five thousand farmers, cheese makers, fishermen, wine makers, and supporters of the preservation of quality foods from across the globe gathered in Turin, Italy. They came to share their lives, knowledge, and a celebration of traditional and quality crafted foods. Although I did not attend, I was aware of the Terra Madre meeting hosted by Slow Food, an international organization that promotes food and wine culture and defends agricultural biodiversity, and I was impressed by the sheer magnitude of such a gathering. The emotional and philosophical impact of that meeting; however, didn't hit me until I attended a panel discussion at last January's Eco-Farm Conference and heard first-hand the stories of farmers from the San Francisco Bay Area who had attended Terra Madre. Their stories left me not only emotionally moved from catching a glimpse of our universal need for a relationship with our food, but impressed by the political importance of a global appreciation for small farmers and sustainable food advocates.

These farmers spoke with a glow in their eyes and warmth in their smiles as they recollected the experiences of meeting their counterparts from around the world. Vivian Straus, of Straus Organic Creamery in California recalls, "We were all so different but we were alike in that we all struggle with our own local farming challenges and we all love what we do." Vivian, who is challenged with a lack of water on her family farm, connected with a farmer from Zimbabwe who also faces limited water resources. Their lives were so different, but she was moved by the fact that they could deeply empathize with each other's struggles. Vivian recalls that her new friend was taken aback by the respect he had received at Terra Madre from the American and European community of small farmers, not his usual impression of the first world. She also said that he commented, "We've never seen people like you (white people)." Julia Wiley of Mariquita Farm in Watsonville, California spoke of all the translators wearing signs listing the languages they spoke and often bridging conversations across multiple language gaps. At any time there were five to ten talks going on and at least six translators in each talk. She discovered half way through the conference that the Spanish translators (closer to Italian) were easier for her to understand than the English ones and so utilized her second language skills. Imagining the base of biodiversity represented, I asked the panel if there were any seed exchanges going on. Helge Hellburg, Executive Director of Marin Organics', face lit up as he began recalling the "under the table" personal exchanges taking place. But Erika Lesser, Executive Director of Slow Food USA, was quick to comment that seed swapping was not openly encouraged, given international seed regulations.

Throughout the meeting there was an international food pavilion called the Salone del Gusto, where attendees sold goods from their native lands. The Eco-Farm panel jovially compared notes on who had tried the yak vodka or dried caterpillars. While I listened to their stories, an ongoing slide show flashed a myriad of colorful clothing and ethnic diversity. In the pictures I caught glimpses of the familiar faces of Bay Area organic farmers I have known and worked with, intermingled with traditionally dressed, languid Senegalese men, smiling Nepalese women and colorful Andean farmers. I thought of how much these people had in common.

As described by the Slow Food USA chapter, "Terra Madre is a forum for those who seek to grow, raise, catch, create, distribute and promote food in ways that respect the environment, defend human dignity and protect the health of consumers." Farmers in the Bay Area are fortunate to live in a culture that exalts organic farming and specialty foods while much of the US seeks fast food and cheap food. As keynote speaker, chef and food advocate, Alice Waters, noted "every day 1 in 3 American children eat at a fast food restaurant… fewer than 1 in 5 sits down and eats at a family table." For those of us who relish Saturday mornings at the farmers market, it is reassuring to know that there are still people across the globe that also honor real food. At Terra Madre 1,200 different food communities were represented. "Food Communities" were defined as "part of a chain of production, linked by a common product, ethnic identity, region, history, or approach." Deborah Madison, chef and author, noted, "They (communities) embody culture, knowledge, practice and wisdom that often struggle in isolation but deserve—even need—wide appreciation and support to thrive in our globalized world." As Carlo Petrini, Slow Food founder, stated in his opening speech addressing the Terra Madre delegates, "The communities you represent are depositories of ancient and modern wisdom. They are an important and strategic factor in human nutrition, in the delicate balance between nature and culture that underpins our very existence."

All of the people I have spoken with who attended Terra Madre have commented that they weren't sure what was "supposed to happen" or "what the point was." But, at a distance, my impression is that the point was found on multiple levels; in the intimate conversations of bee keepers from opposite sites of the globe as well as in the uniting of a global political voice of small farmers with similar issues and challenges in the face of industrial agriculture. In the ecological scientist Vandana Shiva's keynote speech she stated, "If this had been a meeting of agribusiness, every face would have been white; every coat would have been black. But you are so full of beauty and color and it is the color of the earth that you bring." It is true that these small scale craftspeople are bound together by the threat of globalization and industrialization of modern agriculture. As Prince Charles stated in his keynote speech, "Imposing industrial farming systems on traditional agricultural economies is actively destroying both biological and social capital and eliminating the cultural identity which has its roots in working on the land. It is fueling the frightening acceleration of urbanization throughout the world and removing large parts of humanity from meaningful contact with nature and the food they eat." On an optimistic note, Prince Charles also honored the organization commenting, "The Slow Food Movement is about celebrating the culture of food and about sharing the extraordinary knowledge—developed over millennia—of the traditions involved in quality food production."

Terra Madre attendees came home with a desire to carry on the impact of the meetings and share their experiences with their farming communities back home. Many articles have been written and countless contacts maintained. This feeling of shared commitment and common emotions is what motivated Diane Joy Goodman, organic consultant and sustainable agriculture advocate, to organize the Terra Madre panel at Eco-farm. She felt that "not extending the experience would be breaking the chain" that this experience, "inherently needed to be shared." In addition to the publicly attended panel discussion, Diane also organized a meeting of Bay Area delegates to strategize how to bring the Terra Madre message and feeling home. Next year at Eco-Farm they hope to hold a one day event to bring together farmers, food-crafters, chefs, and others to share in celebrating food in the spirit of Terra Madre. The next Terra Madre event is being planned for 2006. Watch the Slow Food website for updates.

Much in the spirit of Terra Madre, Seeds of Change works intimately with specialty organic farmers (seed farmers and produce farmers) who protect and honor diversity in our foods. Together we are preserving our food heritage.

Micaela Colley
Seeds of Change Bulk Seed Field Representative

Please visit the following sites to learn more about Slow Food and Terra Madre and to find out how to become a member of a local Slow Foods group called a "convivia." Please also enjoy links to the web pages of some of the Terra Madre attendees who I spoke with and watch the Eco-Farm (ESA) website for announcements of next January's conference.

www.slowfood.com - International Slow Food website

www.slowfoodusa.org - USA Slow Food website. Information on joining local US convivia and on Slow Food events in the USA.

www.terramadre2004.org - Official Terra Madre website. Includes pdf versions of the keynote speeches and photos of the event.

www.strausmilk.com - Straus Organic Creamer website. Terra Madre stories in newsletter archives by Vivian Straus.

www.mariquita.com - Mariquita Farm website. Terra Madre stories in newsletter archives by Julia Wiley.

www.marinorganic.org - Helge Hellberg is the Executive Director of Marin Organic. Marin Organic is a member organization of organic farmers who work to go "beyond organic" in their farming and lifestyles, they promote biodiversity, preserve and restore wildlife habitat, and promote healthy social food systems in Marin County, California.

www.oriononline.org - March/April issue contains article by Deborah Madison on Terra Madre.

www.eco-farm.org - Eco-Farm conference website.


Photo captions: (top) Vivian Straus and other Terra Madre participants. (middle) A photo taken by Diane Joy Goodman. (bottom) Vandana Shiva in conversation, photographed by Robert Caccuri.