The theme of this year’s World Food Day is focused on bringing access to nourishing, healthy, and safe food to the world’s population—in essence, good, clean, and fair food for all. There’s a reason that these three words resonate so deeply in the Slow Food community. They capture in the simplest terms a set of values centered around human health, ecological stewardship, and social equity. They rally a movement of individuals and communities spread out across over 160 nations to act thoughtfully and gather intentionally around the table.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals call for a transformation of the rural economy, encouraging the adoption of sustainable agriculture methods to strengthen the resilience of the world’s smallholder farmers. It’s a lofty and ambitious charge that puts forth a vision for a bright food future, but the question remains—what steps do we take to get there?
The challenges—and thus, opportunities—of today’s global food economy are not isolated to the world’s rural communities, but belong to us collectively. Together, we have the opportunity to create, reimagine, and celebrate a new food culture—one that marries tradition with innovation, community with individuality, and mindfulness with joyful play.
In Slow Food lexicon, we use the terms producer and co-producers. The producers encompass our farmers, fisherfolk, brewers, gardeners, cheesemakers, etc.—the artisans who grow the food that fuels us. A co-producer is a consumer who values and partakes in the creation of a good, clean, and fair food economy, actively supporting the world’s food producers.
As co-producers, we are all protagonists in our shared food story. Each of us has the opportunity to vote with our fork, eat consciously with a sense of joy, and transform the kitchen table.
Here in New York City, all of the work we do directly supports our good, clean, and fair food initiatives including our seasonal urban farm in East New York and educational nutrition programs for young students throughout the city. We strive to support local, eat in season, and minimize waste through all of our community endeavors.
Will you join us as co-producers in this food revolution?
Take the Food for Change challenge and pledge to work together towards a delicious solution to climate change!
Happy World Food Day from our table to yours!
Kelly & the Slow Food NYC Team
