The defense of biodiversity A Slow Food Foundation for practical projects around the world

The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity was created to defend food biodiversity and gastronomic traditions around the world. It aims to promote a sustainable model of agriculture which respects the environment, cultural identity and animal welfare. It supports demands for food sovereignty, or the right of communities to decide what to grow, produce and eat.

The Foundation was founded in Florence with the support of the Tuscany Regional Authority and its official head office is located at the prestigious Georgofili Academy.

Though derived from Slow Food, the organization has its own statutory, economic and administrative autonomy. It finances projects concerned with protecting biodiversity: the Ark of Taste, the Presidia and Markets of the Earth.

These projects are implemented all over the world in over 50 countries (from Sweden to Guatemala), but the main economic focus is dedicated to supporting less developed countries, where defending biodiversity not only means improving quality of life but actually saving the lives of entire communities.

The Foundation raises funds from members, companies in the food industry, public bodies, companies in other sectors and from anyone interested in supporting Slow Food projects aiming to defend food biodiversity.

The Foundation guarantees complete transparency in the use of all the donations and contributions it receives and its status as a qualifying organization can also provide the benefits of Italian tax deductibility.

The defense of biodiversity through Slow Food Foundation projects: the Ark of Taste and Presidia

The Ark of Taste seeks out, catalogs, describes and focuses attention on almost forgotten flavors from around the world, products at risk of extinction but still alive, with real productive and commercial potential. The idea of adopting this biblical metaphor for food goes back to 1996 and the first list of food products arose spontaneously. Subsequently the newly created Scientific Commission of the Ark in Italy defined criteria for selecting products for the Ark. Put briefly these are: high gastronomic qualities, a link with the local geographic area, artisanal production, a sustainable approach to farming and the risk of extinction.

Once the criteria had been established, work began: the Slow Food world — Convivium leaders, members, supporters and experts — filled out forms and sent samples for tasting. In a few years the Italian Commission had evaluated and selected almost five hundred products.

The work proved to be effective. Commissions were set up in many other countries around the world. The first to get started were in the USA and Germany, followed by Switzerland, the Netherlands and France.

On October 26 2002 all these bodies came together at the Salone del Gusto in Turin (Italy) and an International Commission was formed to encourage activity around the world. The International Commission allows different countries to share their experiences and supports the formation and work of the various national commissions. It can also directly select products for the Ark in countries where there is no commission or where Slow Food does not yet have a membership base.

Slow Food Presidia The Presidia are the next possible step to the cataloging work undertaken by the Ark project. To recognize and promote a product it is necessary to bring together the few remaining producers and give them visibility, help them to communicate and publicize the high gastronomic quality of their produce, and secure more profitable prices. Structural changes are sometimes necessary: building an abattoir, renewing an oven or the walls of a vineyard. A single project is not enough — there need to be as many as there are products — and they must each be planned so they can maintain a particular production chain. The Presidia are projects focused on a local geographic area. They may perhaps just involve a single cheesemaker (perhaps the last custodian of a cheese-making method) or encompass thousands of small farmers.

In Italia there are 200 Presidia, protecting a vast range of different products — from Burlina cattle to Garfagnana potato bread, from the pitina of Friuli to manna of Madonie. With the launch of over 90 international Presidia the Slow Food universe has expanded to include the biodiversity of the world — from Bario rice in Malyasia to Mananara vanilla from Madagascar, from guatemalteco coffee to Polish oscypek cheese. The marginal situations faced by small farmers in the Alps or Appennines are the same as those of campesiños in the Chiapas or the last heroic makers of raw milk cheese in Britain.