Farmland Trust to join global Slow Food community in Italy

Slow Food is an idea, a movement, a way of thinking and living — but it’s also a network. In fact, it has become a worldwide network of individuals, communities and organizations that strive to ensure that food is good for the people that eat it, the people that grow it, and the planet that makes it all possible.

Slow Food is based on a philosophy called “eco-gastronomy — a recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet.” It honors the taste and tradition of “good, clean and fair” food that’s delicious, sustainable and equitably produced. This philosophy depends, of course, upon the availability of farmland. The United States loses more than 1 million acres of farmland each year and this trend is not unique to our country.

Local action and participation are essential for the success of Slow Food within communities. But to overcome existing, conventional and unbalanced food systems and policies, global collaboration is needed.

This October, Terra Madre, a project of Slow Food International, will bring together more than 5,000 representatives of the global movement. The annual five-day meeting will be held in Turin, Italy, and will provide a gathering place for members of the world’s agricultural, youth, restaurant, NGO and academic communities to come together to discuss everything from cultural diversity and oral traditions, to biodiversity and renewable energy.

Because PCC Farmland Trust’s mission and values reflect those of Slow Food’s, we have been chosen this year as delegates to attend the 2010 meeting. The three members of our local community who will have the opportunity to join the international gathering this October will be Kelly Sanderbeck, communications & development director of the trust; farmer Andrew Stout of Full Circle Farm, who owns land preserved by the trust; and chef Maria Hines of Tilth Restaurant, who started our “Local Chefs for Local Farms” events.

The PCC Farmland Trust team is delighted to join the global community for effective and collaborative change, to glean innovative solutions from other local systems around the globe, and to share our regional success stories and the importance of saving local organic farmland forever!