The grassroots food movement: four community initiatives that are transforming food systems

What choices lie behind the food we eat in our public canteens, in our schools, hospitals, retirement homes and workplaces? And how can we ensure that the healthiest, most sustainable options end up on our public plates?  In this episode, agrifood journalist Natasha Foote talks you through the world of public procurement, with the help of: Peter Defrancheschi – Head of the ICLEI Brussels office Renata Lukasova – Slow Food member, hospitality expert and director of food catering helping to run school canteens in the Czech Republic  Jannie Vestergaard – Slow Food member, food systems expert and food nutritionist Thomas Waitz – Green MEP and farmer Host: Natasha Foote Post-Production: Jonathan Rémy Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes and Jonathan Rémy Follow @SlowFoodEurope on X, and join our Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

“Slow Food Goes Brussels” is back, and there’s a new voice behind the mic! Meet Natasha Foote, an agrifood journalist, ready to guide you through the hottest debates in the EU food world. In this month’s episode, we dive into: What’s been brewing over the summer The big challenges EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will face in her second term How the new shape of the European Parliament will affect future policies The buzz around the strategic dialogue on agriculture that everyone is talking about, what it is, and how that will help form the basis of policymaking going forward As Brussels gears up for the start of another 5-year political cycle, Slow Food Goes Brussels brings you up to speed for the fun to come over the next few months and years, with the help of: Alan Matthews, Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland Marta Messa, Secretary General Slow Food Geneviève Savigny, Farmer and representative for European Coordination Via Campesina Host: Natasha Foote Production: Jonathan Rémy A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

Can a farm be Slow? And could it also be a tool for activism and political change? In this episode, we explore the amazing potential of Slow Food Farms—a new program that’s helping transition our food systems toward sustainability through agroecology. Join us as we chat with changemakers from Mexico, Uganda, and Sweden who are working to make the world of food good, clean, and fair for everyone. Whether you’re a farmer or just passionate about sustainable food, this episode is for YOU! Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Edward Mukiibi (President of SF International), Santiago Aguilar Zilli (agroecological farmer in Mexico), Michaela Saax (chairwoman of Slow Food Stockholm) Music: Leonardo Prieto More about Slow Food Farms: https://www.slowfood.com/slow-food-farms/  Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/slowfoodthepodcast  A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)

Which books can inspire us to cook and to think? What are great reading suggestions for this summer? This episode is the second part of the episode we published last Wednesday with a lot of reading suggestions for your summer holidays. Also today we are going to listen to reading tips from activists and leaders in the Slow food movement and again, I am going to add time-stamps below so that if you want, you can directly jump to the suggestion you are interested in. So enjoy this episode and enjoy reading! Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Marta Messa (Secretary General at Slow Food International), Benedetta Gori (Ethnobotanist), Bilal Sarwari (Interim director at Slow Food USA), Paola Nano (press and editorial manager at Slow Food International). Music: Leonardo Prieto Books and time-stamps: "Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood (02:44) Kids book: “Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street” by Felicita Sala (05:08) “Eating to Extinction” by Dan Saladino (10:29) “Braiding sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer (13:46) “The Broken Earth Trilogy” by N. K. Jemisin (16:36) “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry” by Austin Frerick (25:31) Wanna share your reading suggestion for a Slow summer? Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/slowfoodthepodcast  A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)  

Which books can inspire us to cook and to think? What are great reading suggestions for this summer?  Today's episode is all about reading suggestions for your summer holidays which we got from activists and leaders in the Slow food movement. This episode is split in two, because we received a lot of super interesting suggestions and I personally didn’t want to cut out any of them. Enjoy this episode and enjoy reading! Host & production: Valentina Gritti; Guests: Elena Lucchiari (Slow Food Youth Network activist), Nicholas Panayi (Nico The Home Farmer) and Maria René Parada (sociologist and gastronome); Music: Leonardo Prieto Books and time-stamps: "Entangled Life” by Merlin Sheldrake (01:59)  “Field Guide to Urban Gardening” by Kevin Espiritu (10:20) “Grow Bag Gardening” by Kevin Espiritu (13:33) "Flavour Thesaurus 1 and 2" by Niki Segnit (17:42) “The Art & Science of Foodpairing” by Peter Coucquyt, Bernard Lahousse and Johan Langenbick (21:58) “The Life of the Bee” by Maurice Maeterlinck (23:38) “Agitadoras de buen gusto: historia del sindicato de culinarias” by Ana Cecilia Wadsworth and Ineke Dibbits (26:10) “Like water for chocolate” by Laura Esquivel (30:09) Wanna share your reading suggestion for a Slow summer? Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/slowfoodthepodcast A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)   

How can we re-establish and reinforce the relationship between humans and nature? What is the role of food in this? Can a better relationship with nature help us tackle the climate crises? Why shall we tell the stories of communities preserving nature? In today's episode we’ll look at why and how we should reconnect with nature. We’ll have a special eye on agroecology and biodiversity preservation and we’ll get to know some examples from communities who live in harmony with their natural surroundings.  Host & Production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Francesco Sottile (Slow Food International board of directors), Dan Saladino (journalist, broadcaster and author of the book "Eating to extinction") and Claudia Ranja (spokesperson of SF Târgu Mureş – Marosvásárhely Community) Music: Leonardo Prieto Useful links: Terra Madre event: https://2024.terramadresalonedelgusto.com/en/  Slow Food Brief on Agroecology: https://www.slowfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/240627_EN_Agroecology-A-Slow-Food-Brief-2.pdf  Previous podcast on agroecology: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4DXi2ZJmHKV7fuf3x4Piu7  Join our Telegram group: https://t.me/+xSzaZeIyCUM1NjJk  A project by Slow Food Youth Network

Which pedagogical tools can help reconnect children to nature? How can schools, teachers and parents take action to change the current educational systems? What are the effects of food education on our kids? In today's episode we’ll look at different educational instruments, which can help children reconnect with food and nature, in particular in schools. Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Barbara Nappini (SF Italy president), Ai Onodera (co-Director of SOKKA, Ocean & Forest School) and Bruno Smadja (Mobile Film Festival director). Music: Leonardo Prieto Useful links: - Petition to ask for compulsory food education in schools (Italy): https://www.slowfood.it/comunicati-stampa/appello-col-cibo-si-educa-col-cibo-si-cambia/  - Mobile Film Festival: https://www.youtube.com/mobilefilmfestival  - Interested in the Food on Film project? Write to [email protected]  - More on Sokka forest and Ocean school: https://vimeo.com/315557265  A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN)

What is going on with the Common Agricultural Policy in Europe? What is the simplification package and what were the hidden reasons behind it? Can we afford to put environmental protection measures aside in this moment of history? This episode is part of the series Slow Food Goes Brussels, where we dissect the political debates linked to the greatest challenges food and agriculture are facing. In the previous episode of this series we explained why farmers were protesting in the beginning of the year. In today’s episode we look into what is the response of the EU Institutions to the latest farmers protests. This response is namely what the Commission is calling a "simplification" of the CAP, but what is in fact a reform: they are deciding to rollback on green conditions. Host & Production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Giulia Gouet (policy officer at Slow Food International), Gerardo Fortuna (senior reporter at Euronews) and Paul Behrens (Associate Professor of Environmental Change). Links: Endorsing the Slow Food Manifesto: https://feedthechange.slowfood.com/ Webinar: "Feed the Change: Why the EU Elections Matter for the Future of Food" | May 28th @1pm CET | Register to the webinar --> https://www.slowfood.com/events/feed-the-change-the-webinar/   A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

How can we transition our local food system? Can grassroots projects influence policy on a higher level? What are key elements for a successful community initiative? In today's episode I am going to tell you some stories of change. Stories of impactful grassroots initiatives that are boosting food system transition in different aspects.   A couple of weeks ago I was in Italy, in Cella Monte, for the project Shared Green Deal. A European project which aims to study from a social perspective the implementation of the Green Deal on a local level in different European countries. I have interviewed the project coordinators of the different grassroots initiatives, with the goal of learning more about their projects but also to see how European policies are impacting their local realities and how their projects can influence policy.  Host and production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Costanza Guazzo and Luca Carisio (Asfodelo association, Italy), Janneke Bruil and Eduardo Cáceres (Stroomgebied Zuid-Veluwe, The Netherlands), Pelle Bengtsberg (Reformaten, Sweden), Zuzana Kupcová (Klíma ta potrebuje, Slovakia).  More about Shared Green Deal: https://sharedgreendeal.eu/  This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101036640. The sole responsibility for this content lies with the SHARED GREEN DEAL project and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

In the past months, farmers have been protesting all over Europe. They're marching and driving tractors through city streets. But sadly, what's happening follows a pattern we see often. A serious protest, born out of real struggles, is being made to seem less important. It's being turned into a fight between farmers and environmentalists, or farmers and the European Union. And some people are using it for their own gain, like trying to win votes or protect their own interests.  Today, we'll talk about why farmers are protesting and with a focus on common grounds and on solving the root problems in our food system. Host & production: Valentina Gritti Guests: Natasha Foote (Freelance agri-food journalist), Jereon Candel (Professor of food and agricultural policy at Wageningen University), Sebastian Mira (Farmer from Slow Food Pays Catalan). Farmers' protest audio's source: the Telegraph video A project by Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.