Keynote Speakers

Some highlights:

Paolo De Croce, Secretary General of the Terra Madre Foundation

Terra Madre is an opportunity for the exchange of our global knowledge of food. Started with Carlo Petrinni, the President of Slow Food and his question: What would happen if the peasants of the world came together?

Came together to support what farmers have always known, that we must support balance, biodiversity and sustainable practices. We must work for small-scale, local enonomies, social welfare and social justice. We must vocally oppose intensive, monoculture in agriculture, the abandonment of traditional cultural knowledge and the standardizing of tastes. We are the ambassadors, and we must speak up.

What about farmers and fishing communities from one country inviting farmers from other countries to come to our farms and exchange knowledge?

And we must support school gardens! To date, there are 185 in the world (Go Lincoln!!)

And he reminded us that we are not alone in the struggle against the standardization of our food and our desire to create a biologically diverse world!!

Sergio Chiamparino, Mayor of Torino
We are rediscovering our ancetral bond with the earth. We are all farmers. We all come from the Earth.

He reminded us that people must have freedom and economies based on real goods, not fictional numbers.

He made a commitment to bring local foods to the school children of Torino. (So, is it time already for Mount Vernon????)

Mercedes Bresso, President of the Piedmont Regional Authority
Proud that Piedmont (a region in Italy) is GMO free.

Discussed the Europeans nations voting to be GMO free. Encouraged the rest of the world to catch up.

Talked about the fact that farmers know how to use the energy of the sun, have been doing it since the first farmer planted a seed.

Alice Waters, Vice-President of Slow Food
Talked about how Gavin Newsom, the Mayor of San Francisco, planted one acre in front of City Hall in fruit and vegetables and how the food goes into local food banks.

Prince Charles, His Royal Highness, Prince of Wales
He talked of his support for Terra Madre and the need for organizations such as ours to address the issues of global climate change and the creation of sustainable food.

Luca Zaia, Minister of Agriculutre, Food and Forestry

He discussed the impact of transporting food and energy consumption.

He pushed Farmer's Markets and any systems we can support where people can meet the farmers.

Carlos Lopez, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

We must find long-term solutions to the worldàs food crises.

We need small-scale farming, access to markets.

We must find ways of attracting young people to farming.

Vandana Shiva, Vice-President
(Wow, don't know how else to comment of this brilliant woman. But wow.)

There are three crises in the world today.

1. The financial crisis. The fiction of today's finances based not on real, actual goods. The truth of Ghandi's statement: We have enough for everyoneàs needs, but not for some people's greed. We must get out of the economy of debt into the economy of rejuvenation.
2. The food crisis. We can do better than allowing Mansanto and Cargill to destroy and control the world's food supply. We can give fair prices to all. We must switch from the idea of everything as a commodity. No, every seed, every human is NOT a commodity, but has intrinsic value, separate from corporate greed.
3. The climate change crisis. We must oppose Cargill and their pushing of chemical fertilizers. 35% of climate change due to the use of chemical fertilizers creating dead soil, dead zones in our oceans and dead air. We can do better than this. GMO's are a big lie. She discussed how she was raised a scientist and is addicted to the truth. That Mansanto's lies are a big piracy, a vile piracy. And she praised Europe for its stand of being GMO free.

Tewolde Berhan Gebe Egziabhu, Environmental Protection Agency, Ethiopa

He welcomed us as "The children of mothers". He said "I come from Africa. All of you also come from Africa. I bring you a message from your original mother, Africa."

He talked about while there is great hunger in Africa there is also great change. He talked about the devastation of years and years of colonization and the destruction of Africa leaving it the least populated continent on the Earth.

He believes that with a few seasons, Africa can recover.

He discussed the issue of biofuel, which is taking over agriculture throughout Africa. Why do we need biofuel? To power our system of agriculture. Why do we need agriculture? To create biofuel. Even an idiot can see this vicious circle is not sustainable.

He ended with: I wish you all a good afternoon and I wish the biospere perpetual health.

(anybody, still reading??? I hope so . . . )

Humberto Oliveira, Secretary of one of the Territories in Brazil

Long Live Terra Madre! Long Live the People of the Earth!

He talked about the fact that in 2007 the urban population of the earth exceeded that of the rural for the first time in human history. He talked about the consequences of the urbanization of the earth and the concentration of political power and the impact on the rural world.

We want another life or the future. We want to opposite of industrialization, dumping chemicals onto the land and the continuation of poverty. No. We want future generations to have sustainable energy, healthy food.

Sam Levin, High School Freshman, a public school in Massachusetts

He started "Project Sprout", a student-run organic school garden that brings food into the schools. He said that before kids grew their own salads the kitchen received 4 to 6 orders each day for salad. On the first day of Project Sprout's food entering the cafeteria, they ordered 70 salads. And the numbers continue to grow.

"I am here to let you know this: We got it. My generation is going to be the generation that reunites humans with the earth."

And here the nations of Slow Food, 7, 142 farmers, University professors, chefs, students and one teacher from Lincoln Elementary, stood up and applauded.