I approached Slow Food’s Terra Madre with ambivalence. My fellow young farmers in New York called the organization an “eating club.” I was frustrated because my Thai friends from the Alternative Agriculture Network were not attending the event due to problems with paperwork. I didn’t know what to expect from the event – would the people I meet really care about food being “good, clean and fair”? Or, would the “good” take up most of their effort? Yet I also admired Slow Food for it’s explicit belief that “good food” (or “sustainable” or “fair”) should actually taste good. This same value is one that I see within the AAN and other farmer-based organizations working for a better food system.
Alternative Agriculture Network - Esan 