What We Do
Discover the main projects coordinated by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity:
Thanks to a large international mobilization, between 2012 and 2014 Slow Food created more than 1,000 gardens in schools, communities and urban outskirts in 30 African countries. At the beginning of 2014, the project was re-launched with a new objective: to create 10,000 gardens and activate a network of young African leaders who are working to save Africa’s extraordinary biodiversity, promote traditional knowledge and gastronomy, and encourage family farming and small-scale agriculture.
The Ark of Taste identifies and catalogues quality food products at risk of extinction. Today products on board number more than 5,000 from over 120 countries. Descriptions in English and Italian are published on the Foundation website.
Across the world, the Presidia support small-scale traditional productions at risk of extinction, promote local areas, recover professions and processing techniques, and save native breeds and fruit and vegetable varieties from disappearing. Many Presidia producers has also adopted the narrative label, a counter label which provides detailed information on producers, their farms, the breeds or varieties used, place of origin, animal welfare, and methods of cultivation, breeding and processing.
Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance – today active in Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands and Mexico – is a large cohesive network made up of chefs who choose to source their ingredients from Presidia and local food producers, committing to promote them.
The Earth Markets are Slow Food’s network of farmers’ markets which host small-scale producers that directly sell their produce at fair prices. Products are local, seasonal and made using sustainable techniques and with respect for the environment.