Slow Food –

Community

Development and

Networking

Ursula Hudson PhD

Status quo

The dominant food system

The dominant industrial food system is extremely

imbalanced:

In less than 100 years, humanity has lost ¾ of the global

biodiversity – and the most important factor is industrial

agriculture

The dominant food system

IPES Food (2016): From uniformity to diversity: A paradigm shift from industrial agriculture to diversified agroecological systems

Example: Livestock

The dominant food system

The current system is extremely imbalanced:

In less than 100 years, humanity lost ¾ of the global

biodiversity – and the most important factor is industrial

agriculture

Every minute, soil erosion destroys an area of 30 soccer

fields – less than 60 harvests remain

Example: Global soil erosion

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/

only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/

The dominant food system

The current system is extremely imbalanced:

In less than 100 years, humanity lost ¾ of the global

biodiversity – and the most important factor is industrial

agriculture

Every minute, soil erosion destroys and area of 30 soccer

fields – less than 60 harvests remain

Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture increase

global warming

Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture

FAOSTAT (2014)

The dominant food system

The current system is extremely imbalanced:

In less than 100 years, humanity lost ¾ of the global

biodiversity – and the most important factor is industrial

agriculture

Every minute, soil erosion destroys and area of 30 soccer

fields – less than 60 harvests remain

Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture increase

global warming

Increasing monopolies in the agricultural sector

.

Monopolies in agriculture

Erklärung von Bern (2014): Agropoly. Wenige Konzerne beherrschen die weltweite Lebensmittelproduktion. Zürich

Top 11: 97,8% Top 10: 55% Top 10: 75%

Top 4: 99%

Top 4: 99%

Top 4: 75% (grains

& soy

Top 10: 28%

The dominant food system

The current system is extremely imbalanced:

In less than 100 years, humanity lost ¾ of the global

biodiversity – and the most important factor is industrial

agriculture

Every minute, soil erosion destroys and area of 30 soccer

fields – less than 60 harvests remain

Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture increase

global warming

Increasing monopolies in the agricultural sector

Knowledge about (origins of) food vanished – unified,

globalized fast food culture

©YouGovReports, uk: chilled food

The dominant food system

The current system is extremely imbalanced:

In less than 100 years, humanity lost ¾ of the global

biodiversity – and the most important factor is industrial

agriculture

Every minute, soil erosion destroys and area of 30 soccer

fields – less than 60 harvests remain

Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture increase

global warming

Increasing monopolies in the agricultural sector

Knowledge about (origins of) food vanished – unified,

globalized fast food culture

Systematic food losses

Food waste

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com

Industrial agriculture feeds 30% of the global

population while using 70-80% of the total agricultural

land and 70% of all water consumed in agriculture.

Around 7000 varieties are produced.

1.5 billion small-scale farmers produce 50-75% of the

globally-consumed food while using 25-30% of the

global agricultural area and 30% of the water used in

agriculture. Around 1.7 million varieties are produced.

Presentation M. Alitieri* (2015): „Agrarökologie raus aus der Nische:

Was können wir vom globalen Süden lernen und wie können wir es umsetzen?“ (17.09.2015, Berlin)

* Professor for Agroecology, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley

The Slow Food

Movement – Local and

Regional Implications

Slow Food ist: Slow Food is

an international, eco-gastronomical & member driven non-

profit organization

an international association as a counter-movement against

fast food & fast life

a global network that is committed to fundamentally change

the way food is currently produced and consumed

What is Slow Food doing?

SF is working towards a global sustainable culture of joyful

eating and drinking

SF stands in for the right of every human being to consume

good, clean and fair food

SF supports manual and eco-friendly food production

SF connects producers and consumers

SF communicates knowledge about different tastes, different

foods and cooking processes

SF is working towards the preservation of biological diversity

The Presidia sustain quality production at risk of extinction, protect unique regions and

ecosystems, recover traditional processing methods, safeguard native breeds and local

plant varieties

Slow Food Presidia

One Presidio in Hungary: Mangalica Sausage

Traditionally breed of pig, excellent for sausage

making

19 pig farmers have formed a cooperative and are

labeled as organic

Presidia located in Kinkusag region

Slow Food

Presidia:

509

Slow Food Presidi are examples for local networks of producers, precessors and consumers – they

represent locally embedded, sustainable agricultue. Local ecosystems and regional traditions are

protected.

Sustainability of products which are embedded by Presidi structures significantly

increased (Peano, C. & F. Sottile (2012))

Status BEFORE

Presidi formation

Status AFTER

Presidi formation

Peano, C. & F. Sottile (2012): Slow Food

Presidia in Europe: A Model of

Sustainability. An essessment of the

eociocultural, agri-environmental and

economic results 2000-2012.

Status BEFORE

Presidi formation

Substantial

increase of

sustainability

Examples for Local

Networks – The

Solution for

Sustainable Food

Systems

EZÖB – Cooperative of producers for organic brewing raw materials which cooperate with „Neumarkter

Lammsbräu“

Founded in 1989, currently 150 producers of organic brewing raw material and one brewery work hand in hand

Prices are fixed for 5 year periods: farmers receive guaranteed price, brewers have a guarantee to receive

organic wheat, barley and hops

Price negotiations take 30 min

Organic small-scale agriculture is secured

Rural agricultural structures remain

Slow Food Chef Alliance

400 cooks from restaurants, bistros and

street kitchens

Aim: Supporting small-scale, local producers and

biodiversity by using products from Presidia

projects and the Ark of Taste

The chefs are requested to add the names of

the producers to their menus, to give visibility to their work

Operating in Albania, Italy, the Netherlands, Mexico, Morocco –

and since recently Germany, France, Brazil, India, Kenya,

Uganda and Ecuador

Slow Fish Canada

Initial starting point: „Selling local food to local people“

Restaurants sell menus with up to 98% local ingredients,

including salt

By-catch („trash-fish“) is used: Fish that would have been thrown overboard otherwise

Local fish-markets had to be re-established: The catch was mainly exported (Japan, US)

Most local SF groups in CA are part of the Slow Fish campaign today:

http://slowfood.com/slowfish/

Community „City dwellers and farmers“

Living well and healthily requires producers of good and healthy food

A sustainably cultivated landscape can only remain, if the type of agriculture,

that conserves it, is maintained

Basis for CD&F are investment and purchasing communities in cooperation with

manually working producers and processors

Investment: Small-scale farmers & young farmers have limited access to credits

CD&F operates as consultancy/broker for farmers in need for an investor – farmers

Access financial funds and investors support small-scale agriculture in their region – and generate profits

CD&F organises direct marketing & supports farmers in implementing processing steps

Thank you very much for paying attention!