10 Things Slow Food USA Can Do to Gain Direction As It Sees Its Way Into 2012

A collective statement to the Slow Food USA Leadership:

Since Slow Food Nation in 2008, it seems that Slow Food USA has been adrift, even while validly trying to redefine its identity, shed the image of elitism, and embrace food justice as a core concern. Nevertheless, we share the hope that Slow Food will remain effective as a broad “big tent” organization dedicated to “taste education” through preserving and promoting food that “good, clean and fair” and the farmers, fishers, and others who produce it.  At the same time, food consciousness and activism doesn’t start and end with Slow Food. The traditional strength of SFUSA has been to recognize, promote and support biodiversity in the food system, the producers and other organizations which are already doing good work in this area. Slow Food’s genius is that it has international “brand recognition” and a cachet that makes its efforts more visible and a valuable partner in promoting the good work being done by peoples and organizations advancing sustainable   production and consumption of healthy food in the world. It would do well to re-envision itself as one of the   organizations collaborating to foment the ”blessed unrest,” that is, the grassroots groundswell which will be required to ensure the health of the land and the health of our diverse people. Here is a wish list of positive actions which Slow Food USA staff and board can do to right its course:

1. Encourage the Brooklyn staff members to get out of the office into the field far more often, so that they can truly work in service to farmers, farmworkers, fishers, and others in various food communities.
2. Keep up-to-date records of who the current chapter leaders are and carry on real conversations with them (not just email blasts and tweets) to learn of food systems innovations forged in their community that can be adopted elsewhere; help tell their success stories to a wider audience.
3. Revitalize and support the Ark of Taste and re-engage with collaborative biodiversity initiatives such as Renewing America’s Food Traditions to help communities protect, promote and best utilize their food heritage and diversity as a buffer against food insecurity in the face of climatic and economic uncertainty.
4. Refocus food and farmer justice efforts on policy changes at the local and state levels where chapter members can be full participants in fostering positive reforms.
5. Reinstate and activate the disaster relief fund set up after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to mobilize support for farmers and food insecure families following forthcoming disasters, many of which will likely be related to climate change.
6. Bring both urban and rural farmers, ranchers, fishers and foragers on board and into regional leadership positions to help heal the Urban/Rural Food Divide
7. Adopt the model of collaborative conservation by working as partners with other diverse constituencies, NGO’s and alliances to protect land, water and food diversity for all, developing alliances “across the aisle” while bringing public and private sectors together to meet tangible community food needs.
8. Host “Healing the Food Divide” forums in communities across the country to encourage rural and urban activists to forge stronger bonds to ensure healthy food systems.
9. Use social media network as support for—not replacement of—true grassroots community organizing to re-localize food systems by 25% by 2020.
10. Re-affirm and re-align itself with the core vision, mission, message and activities of Slow Food International and the other 149 country members (see below).

 

REFERENCE:

Slow Food International

Our Philosophy

Slow Food stands at the crossroads of ecology and gastronomy, ethics and pleasure. It opposes the standardization of taste and culture, and the unrestrained power of the food industry multinationals and industrial agriculture. We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to the pleasure of good food and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Our association believes in the concept of neo-gastronomy – recognition of the strong connections between plate, planet, people and culture.

Our Vision
We envision a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow it and good for the planet.

Our Mission
Slow Food is an international grassroots membership organization promoting good, clean and fair food for all. 

Good, Clean and Fair

Slow Food’s approach to agriculture, food production and gastronomy is based on a concept of food quality defined by three interconnected principles:

GOOD a fresh and flavorsome seasonal diet that satisfies the senses and is part of our local culture;

CLEAN food production and consumption that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health;

FAIR accessible prices for consumers and fair conditions and pay for small-scale producers.

Co-producers
Collectively our consumer choices can bring great change to how food is cultivated and produced. To highlight this, we consider ourselves co-producers – an eater who is informed about where and how their food is produced and actively supports local producers, therefore becoming part of the production process.

Local Identity 
We are committed to protecting traditional and sustainable quality foods, defending the biodiversity of cultivated and wild varieties as well cultivation and processing methods. Through maintaining the diversity of regional food and agricultural traditions, the wisdom of local communities can be maintained to protect the ecosystems that surround them and offer sustainable prospects for the future.

Making Connections

Slow Food believes that food is tied to many aspects of life, including culture, politics, agriculture and the environment. This is why we are an active player in a wide variety of areas, from education to agricultural policy. To work across this wide sphere, Slow Food defends biodiversity in our food supply, promotes food and taste education and connects sustainable producers to co-producers through events and building networks.

 

See Endorsers as of 02/17/12

Download this pdf list

 

Tags: Food, slow-food