From September 26 to 30, Turin’s Parco Dora in Italy will host Terra Madre 2024, a global food event that promises to be a remarkable gathering of more than 3,000 Slow Food delegates and activists from over 120 countries.
Terra Madre 2024, organized by Slow Food, the Piedmont Region, and the City of Turin, will focus on the theme of agroecology.
Terra Madre, the largest international event dedicated to food politics, sustainable agriculture, and the environment, has become a beacon for envisioning and realizing a better future through food. This biennial event emphasizes raising awareness about our daily food choices, supporting collective community efforts, and advocating for improved food policies and practices in both public and private institutions.
The theme of Terra Madre 2024 will be re-establishing and reinforcing the relationship between humans and nature. Food is the essential link between nature and culture, and through Terra Madre, Slow Food shows the way forward, blazing a path toward a healthier relationship with nature through food. The food we eat connects us to the land, the soil, and the sea, and is an integral part of our identities.
The Slow Food philosophy is deeply intertwined with agroecology. Both philosophies emphasize rebuilding relationships between agriculture and the environment, food systems and society, and between farmers, food artisans, and citizens.
Agroecology focuses on sustainable farming, fair distribution, quality over quantity, and environmental responsibility, aligning closely with Slow Food’s mission of ensuring good, clean, and fair food for all. The transition to agroecology is urgent and requires the commitment and perseverance of all actors in the food system, according to Slow Food President Edward Mukiibi.
Agroecology encourages and enables communities to develop diversified agrifood systems. This approach leverages local knowledge and cultural values in a reflective and iterative way that fosters mutual learning among researchers and practitioners, as well as the horizontal spread of knowledge from farmer to farmer and among other actors along the food chain.
Terra Madre 2024 will highlight the strategic relevance of addressing the food system holistically, rather than focusing exclusively on food production. “Slow Food is working worldwide to support this transition, and Terra Madre 2024 will be a milestone, where agroecology will have the place of honor,” adds Mukiibi.
The program for Terra Madre Salone del Gusto includes conferences with prominent international experts discussing the most urgent topics related to the environment, food biodiversity, and food access. Debates and conferences will address the climate crisis and its consequences for humans and nature, agroecology as agriculture that takes the side of nature, and the ways in which corporate power impacts global food security.
In addition to intellectual discussions, the event will feature a wide range of Taste Workshops, Dinner Dates, and other gastronomic encounters. These events will provide visitors numerous opportunities to discover new flavors from around the world and learn how food can pave the way for sustainable food systems both locally and globally. The International Market, with its dazzling colors, enticing aromas, and inspiring stories, remains the heart of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto. It serves as a meeting place for thousands of producers and visitors from across the globe, offering a unique space to explore the extraordinary diversity of foods, cultures, and sustainable production methods.
Photos by Alessandro Vargiu
