I'm going to Slow Food's Terra Madre 2008!!!

I just heard yesterday that I've been accepted as a student delegate for the 2008 edition of Terra Madre, organized by Slow Food!! I will be able to attend the five day conference in Turin, Italy free of charge!

Terra Madre is the largest meeting of representatives from diverse food communities all around the world! It brings together farmers, cooks, academics, and youth delegates for five days of conversation, workshops, and other activities aimed at preserving and increasing small-scale, sustainable, and traditional food production. This year is especially important, as a strong emphasis has been placed on engaging young food producers, activists, and students from the USA Slow Food communities and the University of Gastronomic Sciences.

I am so excited to have been chosen to be involved with this event! It will take place October 23-27, 2008 in Turin, Italy and will be held in conjunction with the Slow Food Salone del Gusto, the world's largest artisan food marketplace. See the Salone del Gusto web site here: http://www.salonedelgusto.com/

From their web site Slow Food is "a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world." See their international web site here: http://www.slowfood.com/

Attending this conference is an important step in enhancing the agricultural work I've been doing. I have had some previous experiences such as interning at Full Circle Farm in Carnation, WA, and engaging in undergraduate research within the scope of community development in small-scale farm communities in Sicily, both of which I think give me a unique background and knowledge base in these issues. I'm also hoping to use the knowledge I gain from this event in choosing an agriculturally-related graduate degree program, as well as contribute to my potential future career in sustainable agriculture/agrotourism. I couldn't be more happy to be attending this event! I will be sure to post pictures and reflections as soon as I can after Terra Madre is over.