The Slow Food movement and food sovereignty

: an example of translocal assemblage related to sustainable food production

Crynodeb

Slow Food is a social movement founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions. Since 2004 Slow Food has developed a project called Terra Madre, a global community of food producers and activists linked through methodological, theoretical, and material exchanges. The thesis investigates strands of Terra Madre as translocal assemblages, considering to what extent Slow Food can be defined as an organisation for food sovereignty. The thesis seeks to reflect on the complex role that social movements play in promoting sustainable food production in Europe. Data collection was based on two international meetings of the Terra Madre project, research with participants involving semi-structured interviews and field visits to communities of food producers in Italy and the UK. The research uncovers the role of Terra Madre communities in the movement’s understanding and implementation of food sovereignty. The study presented reveals the emergence of an original interpretation of the concept/program from Slow Food practices, one that is not based on a clear ideology, but on the inclusion of a great variety of actors, objectives and approaches related to our food system. The finding highlights the limits of applying traditional understandings of the concept to different realities and the necessity to consider unconventional experiences. The analysis also demonstrates that the exchange occurring between groups of Terra Madre can represent an effective form of translocal activism on food production and consumption, exposing the importance of individuals and small communities in the preservation of food cultures and traditions in Europe.

Dyddiad Dyfarnu	2024
Iaith wreiddiol	Saesneg
Sefydliad Dyfarnu	Prifysgol Aberystwyth
Goruchwyliwr	Michael Woods (Goruchwylydd) & Jesse Heley (Goruchwylydd)