I may not have been blogging much of late, but I have been hosting one of a series of forums hosted by Slow Food in lead up to Terra Madre 2008 in October in Torino, Italy. For those of you not familiar with the event, Terra Madre "brings together food producers and workers from around the world, giving them the opportunity to discuss the major themes of food production. Together they share and compare the diverse and complex issues that underlie what “high-quality food” means to them: issues of environmental resources and planetary equilibrium, and aspects of taste, worker dignity, and consumer safety."
The online forums are available at http://forum.terramadre2008.org/. Each forum will culminate in a workshop at Terra Madre, facilitated by the online host. I am hosting the forum titled Stop the Cement - Preserving Farmland for Food, a discussion of issues facing protection of farmland globally that was jointly proposed by Heather Pritchard from Farm Folk City Folk and me. The forum focuses on the protection and preservation of agricultural land. Here is the complete description:
Preserving Farmland for Food
One of the biggest issues facing our ability to feed ourselves in the future is the protection and preservation of fertile land – and ensuring that land is used for food production and ecological services. Without adequate farmland and knowledgeable farmers to farm it, it will be impossible to produce enough food for a growing population.
Fertile land, much of which is located near cities, is at risk of land speculation and 'cementification' by commercial or residential development. Even protected farmland reserves may not be as secure as we think. Farmer attrition is becoming a serious problem as farmers either sell their land for retirement income or can’t find a new generation to take over the farm. In some regions, young people are interested in farming but can’t afford high land prices.
Through this forum STOPPING THE CEMENT, we hope to identify ways to protect farmland from price speculation, expropriation, and urban development; preserve indigenous rights to land for traditional hunting, gathering, fishing, and agricultural activities; educate and encourage the next generation of young farmers; and promote access to farmland for farmers. We also hope to highlight issues faced by communities from around the world related to farmland and farming the land. Ultimately, our goal is to share creative ways of preserving farmland for food and learn from the experiences of others.
I will be facilitating the actual workshop at Terra Madre in Torino, Italy in October, where I will also be representing the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems as an academic delegate to the meetings.
