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As in many other countries around the world, Senegal has suffered a significant reduction in the consumption of healthy and natural local agricultural produce. A loss of purchasing power has pushed many Senegalese to prefer Asian or European fast foods. The continual growth in imports of rice, corn, wheat and other staples damages the local economy and weakens the country¡¦s agricultural base. The negative consequences of the situation include an impoverishment of Senegalese small farmers, a loss in agrifood biodiversity and cultural identity including the gradual loss of traditional recipes and ingredients.
Within this context, the ¡§Mangeons local!¡¨ (Let¡¦s eat local!) project is of particular significance. It was launched in Dakar by Slow Food Lek Mégnef Sénégal conviviul, in collaboration with the press and communications agency Jade /Syfia Senegal and Terra Madre chef Bineta Diallo from the restaurant Le Point d¡¦interrogation (Question Mark).
Thanks to this initiative, each year around one hundred students will learn about eating local products. The project addresses many issues: from enriching the students¡¦ understanding of agriculture (with a particular focus on traditional fruit, vegetables and leafy greens, as well as cultivation areas and types and methods of production), to cooking courses and Taste Education workshops concerning Senegalese food (with guided tastings of specially prepared dishes).
At the end of the program, interested students are able to do an internship with the restaurant, with the goal of forming a small team to provide training courses in schools and women¡¦s associations.

For more information:
Seck Madieng
Convivium leader of Slow Food Lek Mégnef Sénégal, Senegal.
madiensec@yahoo.fr

Bineta Diallo
Terra Madre Chef
restaurantmdioh@yahoo.fr

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It seems it was not enough for the German farming community of Schwäbisch Hall to save two animal breeds that had been on the brink of extinction for 20 years - ¡§Boeuf de Hohenlohe¡¨ beef cattle and the ¡§Schwäbisch-Hällischen Landschwein¡¨ pig. With Rock for Nature, the community aims to revive the spirit of Woodstock with an open-air festival to protest against genetically modified agriculture. From August 22 - 24, 2008, thirty national and international stars of the caliber of Nena, the Scorpions and Joe Cocker will perform to an expected audience of more than 50, 000 visitors.
Tickets cost £á88 and cover entry, camping and parking for the three days, as well as a £á5 donation to landless Indian farmers who have suffered the negative consequences of GM farming.
Slow Food Germany, Greenpeace, Natural Life International and IFOAM are partners in the event.
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What is the best way to teach children how to grow food? How do you involve and stimulate them through activities they can do themselves? Slow Food Spokane River Hall (Washington, United States) attempted this in early June with their event Kids growing plants.
The children brought along their own pots and were assisted by organizers to plant tomato and basil seedlings. The convivium worked together with a local association (The Transitional Living Center), which provides assistance for single mothers, and provided use of the garden where the event took place. It is hoped this will make a difference for a group of people who would not normally participate in a Slow Food activity. The plants were grown from seeds collected by a convivium member from last season¡¦s tomato plants (their cultivation was part of a project run by RAFT - Renewing America¡¦s Food Traditions Alliance).
During a refreshment break, Slow Food members explained the movement¡¦s purpose and projects and encouraged those present to get involved where possible, maybe starting by simply buying fresh produce at local farmers¡¦ markets.
The convivium asked its guests to share their experiences of summer vegetable growing through photographs and stories written by the children, which were then used to make a group poster.

For more information:
Jennifer M. Hall
Convivium leader of Slow Food Spokane River Hall, Washington, USA.
sf.spokaneriver@gmail.com
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The city of Modena in Italy will become the world capital of organic agriculture when it hosts the 16th Ifoam Organic World Congress (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) over June 16-20, 2008. At the heart of the event is the second IFOAM conference, Cultivating the future based on science, held over June 18 - 20 to discuss four basic principles of organic agriculture: health, ecology, fairness and care.
Vandana Shiva, Carlo Petrini, Evo Morales and Serge Latouche will participate in the event along with a range of other high-profile figures, experts, and producers from developed and developing countries.
Key issues will be:
- Regional Values and Indigenous Knowledge, where we derive our experience and inspiration;
- Innovation - in all fields for a sustainable future;
- Cooperation between different parties, such as producers and consumers, public and private sectors, scientists and practitioners, south and north, communities, regions and countries.
Complementing the conference proceedings, a fair-trade market held in Modena¡¦s historic center will add a festive atmosphere, with organic produce from around the world and traditional local products.

Consult the complete program. 

Slow Food Zaragoza is participating in Expo Zaragoza 2008, the largest event ever organized around the theme of water and sustainability. The 93-day-expo (June 14 - September 14, 2008) will feature nine themed weeks in which scientists, experts, politicians, legislators, artists and writers will reflect and discuss on water-related issues from different perspectives. The scale of this event is impressive: 32 000 participants and 2000 experts from 102 countries around the world will take part.
Thanks to Slow Food Zaragoza convivium, the Terra Madre project will be presented on the morning of July 4 and its guidelines for producing sustainable food will be described, including the vital aspects relating to water. This meeting will conclude with an organic lunch, with those invited including 250 Spanish mayors.

The theme of the Expo is particularly relevant for Spain, where there have been water shortages for the past four years. Last year¡¦s rainfall was down by 40% and importing water appeared to be the nation¡¦s best solution. A few weeks ago, a tanker load of water arrived by sea at the port of Barcelona. Further shipments are planned until November. Other ¡§crisis¡¨ relief plans being investigated include importing water by train (too expensive), digging new wells, desalination of seawater, and controversial idea to divert the Ebro River.

For further information contact:
Jorge Hernandez
Slow Food Zaragoza convivium leader, Spain.
zaragozaslowfood@telefonica.net
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Ferdinando Marino, owner of the Marino di Cossano Belbo mill in northern Italy, is working to assist Peruvian kañihua producers in an international cooperation project organized by Slow Food. Two years ago during the Salone del Gusto in Turin, a delegation of Andean farmers told Ferdinando about their problems in grinding this ancient cereal - which grows high in the Andes at around 4000 meters. Rich in protein, it has always been a staple in local people¡¦s diet, and its flour is used to make baked products and beverages. Thanks to donations from millers in Cossano Belbo and Slow Food, a mill is now being constructed in Peru which will be used by around fifty farmers, allowing a whole village to grind the cereal. ¡§It is the first time I have been involved in an initiative like this and it has been an amazing experience. It was incredible to live with these farmers and their families¡¨, Ferdinando told us on his return from the Andes.
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The famous yellow train of the Cerdagne (a French region on the Mediterranean side of the Pyrenees mountains) is the means of transport chosen by the Roussillon convivium to show its members the riches of the wonderful area around Saillagouse.
The train dates back to 1903 and travels on 63 kilometers of track climbing uphill from Villefranche du Conflan. In summer when it is fine, the train travels with an open top. It is an ideal way for Slowfooders to take a gastronomic excursion to a celebrated artisan producer of mustard and vinegar, to the Cal Guillemet farm to savor local cheeses such as reblochon cerdan, or to discover great pork butchers like Bonzon and Marty who raise and process tira-Boixó pigs. The trip ends with a convivial open-air barbecue utilizing these and other local products.

Ireland is the scene for another train trip later in the year, this time bringing producers to the Terra Madre Ireland. The train leaves from Belfast and will arrive at Waterford for the meeting of Irish food communities on September 4, picking up anyone attending the event along the way. What better way to get to know each other and create lasting relationships!

For more information about the French excursion, write to:
Jean Lheritier
Slow Food Roussillon convivium leader, France.
LheritierJean@aol.com

For information on Terra Madre Ireland and related events:
info@slowfoodireland.com
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In 2007 the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity initiated a project in New Caledonia, an archipelago in the South West Pacific Ocean.
Covered in rainforest and surrounded by the largest closed coral lagoon in the world, New Caledonia has been classified by the United Nations as one of the 10 most biodiverse countries in the world. In addition, New Caledonia is home to an incredible variety of languages and cultures: the Kanak, the aboriginal population who speak 28 different languages, as well as people of European, Asian and Middle Eastern origin.
The project aims to carry out research on local products to promote and defend the amazing food biodiversity on the islands (ranging from taro, yam, local varieties of banana, mango and coconut to the vast seafood resources).
Some food communities will be attending Terra Madre 2008 and a Presidium project is in the process of being set up.
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When University of Gastronomic Sciences alumni Jan Bahr and Barbara Kunze arrived in Colorno in 2005 to join the first edition of the Food Culture and Communications Masters program, they probably did not expect to find themselves running a burger joint two years later. Today, however, these partners in love and life are also partners in Die Burgermeister, un nuovo locale a Vienna.
their newly opened hamburger restaurant in Vienna.
The meals features high-quality meat sourced from organic producers, locally baked buns, hand-cut fries, and homemade ketchup and mayonnaise. As Barbara says, ¡§With the right ingredients, passion and effort you can remake the fast food icon into a delicious Slow treat!¡¨ Barbara's own food photography adorns the walls of the café, and the beer fridge is kept well stocked with 20 different brews.
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On May 17, the elementary school Max Rennau in Sayda (near Dresden, Germany) inaugurated its new school garden. To create a green oasis in the grey schoolyard, project leaders Toralf Richter and Carola Stumpe-Richter (Slow Food member and organizer of the Cooking and Baking Club) happily rolled up their sleeves alongside children, teachers and families.
The garden has been divided into four parts, each reserved for a different class so it can be cultivated according to the class study program.
¡§Our garden has been created to stimulate children to have healthy and enjoyable eating habits. Ideally the children, parents and teachers will work together in building and looking after the garden. The children who cultivate the plants, will harvest the fruits and vegetables to use them to cook dishes in the school kitchen¡¨, explained Toralf Richter.
Carola Stumpe-Richter¡¦s Cooking and Baking Club, has been integrated into the school program to provide the opportunity for children to learn how to cook and enjoy tasting their own food.

To see an illustrated account of the project,
click here.
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Terre d¡¦Acqua (Water Lands) was an event organized by Slow Food Italy, with the support of the Veneto Regional Authority, that was held over June 7 ¡V 8 to focus on Italian brackish-water environments. Through displays, technical meetings, educational sessions and tastings in customary Slow Food style, it highlighted the nature, culture, economies and traditions of these ecosystems.
The event was a natural development from Alla ricerca del Grande Fiume, the bicycle trip undertaken by students at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in autumn 2007 to investigate the health of Italy¡¦s largest river, the Po. Terre d¡¦Acqua opened with a conference open to the public, Alla ricerca del Grande Fiume, with participation by fishing communities, institutions, Slow Food Presidia representatives, scientists, producers, cooks and consumers. The program included taste trails, interactive and sensory seminars, a market featuring a selection of high quality produce from these environments, and an area to taste Veneto¡¦s wines and beers.
Terre d¡¦Acqua provided a valuable opportunity to find out more about these delicate ecosystems.

For more information, write to:
Gino Bortoletto
President of Slow Food Veneto, Italy.
presidente@slowfoodveneto.it

• New Convivia

The following convivia have recently joined the Slow Food network:

Oberá ¡V Argentina
N¡¦Djaména ¡V Chad
Loire et Loing ¡V France
Morelos ¡V Mexico
Grachtengordel (Amsterdam Centrum) ¡V Netherlands
Bran-Moeciu ¡V Romania
Lek Mégnef Sénégal ¡V Senegal
Gipuzkoa-donostia ¡V Spain
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