2015 is the year of Expo for Milan, Italy. With the slogan “Feeding the Planet,” the world exposition was initially presented to the public as a place for debate and discussion on the future of the food; however, it turned out to be more of an entertainment park where countries and corporations can advertise their brand. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, New Holland, Perugina, Eataly are just a few of the corporate names you could find alongside the national pavilions. At the very end of the main walkway of the exposition, ironically close to McDonald’s, is the Slow Food pavilion bearing a somewhat odd presence like David against Goliath.
The focus of the Slow Food pavilion was biodiversity and was complete with a small vegetable garden with heritage seeds grown according to agro-ecological principles. A tasting room offered wine and cheese from various regions and presidia in Italy. There was also a theater where a series of conferences and educational events on the food system were held. Unfortunately, the rate of visitors has been below the expectations, probably due to its isolated position.
Slow Food was largely criticized for participating in this big fair because Expo represented principles that were very far from its own: a showcase for big corporations prevented discussions on the true problems of a broken food system. Even more, what lacked the most were the voices and representation of the actual people, not just corporations, who produce our food. To give deeper meaning to the presence of Slow Food at Expo, Carlo Petrini announced We Feed the Planet-Terra Madre Giovani, an unprecedented event to run parallel to Expo. The mission of the conference was to bring the focus of the debate on real food issues and to bring young food producers -- the people who actually feed the planet -- from all over the world to Milan in October. The Slow Food Youth Network managed to plan this ambitious event in only six months time. They reached out to their network -- launching a crowdfunding campaign, collaborating with the City of Milan, and connecting with Slow Food Convivia -- from all over the world.
From the 3rd to the 6th of October, about 2,000 farmers, fishermen, beekeepers, cheese-makers, and students from all over the world gathered in Milan to exchange ideas and fortify their network. Hosted in the huge space of SuperStudio Più with six different halls for conferences, debates, and workshops, the schedule was full of inspiring speeches by activists and researchers such as Raj Patel or Serge Latouche. With a focus was on food justice, communication, innovation, and preservation, the session topics ranged widely: women in agriculture, land access, indigenous communities, the TTIP agreement, food and religion, migrants, as well as agroecology.
Building on the programmed talks, the core energy of the conference lay with the attendees who travelled from every corner of the world to connect with other people facing similar challenges. Bonded by similar ideals and vision for the future, young producers convened in small circles to exchange ideas, discuss farming techniques, talk about emerging businesses, or forge new collaborations
Even people attending from the same nation met here for the first time; meeting in Milan became an opportunity to lay foundations for new community ties for then they returned to their home countries. Many felt comforted by the realization that they are not alone.They were able to meet colleagues outside of their fields or their villages who face the same obstacles, work toward the same objective, and fight for the same types of change in the food system. There was a feeling of freedom and possibility of change in the air that gave a sense of being part of a larger community. Normally shy, I felt free to approach people and ask simple questions as “where are you from?” or “why are you here?”
I felt happy and useful when, one night during dinner, I was able to connect two people from two opposite sides of the world: a rice producer from Japan that uses ducks to control bad weeds and a chef that works with a rice producer that uses the same technique in Provence, France. This is an example of just one of the many connections that happened during the days of We Feed The Planet.
After four days in the city, the last day of We Feed The Planet culminated on the Expo grounds, where 2,000 of us gathered to march toward the Slow Food Pavilion and make our voices heard. During the last conference some of the results of the previous days were presented, and three women from Puerto Rico, India, and Kenya gave a speech as representatives of the community. These women had all finished college but left their successful careers to return to the land and focus on producing food that was clean and fair. Their speeches were deep and emotional.
Then, led by a marching band, we moved towards the Slow Food Pavilion, carrying thousands of signs, singing, dancing, shouting all together, “We feed the planet!”. It was a great moment, and in my experience, the only day that being at Expo was worth it. People stopped to look at us, pointing and taking photos. Maybe they asked themselves what the march meant; maybe they returned home with some more questions about the food system.
I came back home inspired, feeling like I was part of a community still based on human relationships and empowered by the force of unselfish mutual support. I know I am on the right path.
Photo by: Maya Wakita
Benedetta received her Masters in Literature from the University of Bologna. She loves watching independent films alone, and has a deeply-rooted passion for grammar and high standards when it comes to bread and olive oil quality.