Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2026 concludes today with a
renewed political mandate for Slow Food’s global movement.
After four days of exchange, debate and collective action,
farmers, fishers, Indigenous leaders, cooks, food artisans,
activists and changemakers gathered in Turin around a shared
conviction: that food remains one of the most powerful tools
for addressing the environmental, social and political
challenges of our time.
“Carlo taught us
that food is culture, joy, identity, justice and care for
the Earth,” said Edward Mukiibi. “It cannot be separated
from the environmental, social and political conditions in
which it is produced, distributed and consumed. There can be
no food justice without peace and no lasting peace without
justice”, he added. “As a global movement we reject the
rise of individualism, exclusion and nationalism, and
instead we embrace diversity, solidarity and
cooperation”.
During the closing session of
the Slow Food Participants’ Assembly (i.e.
Congress), delegates representing the movement’s
global network endorsed a shared political vision for the
next four years, reaffirming Slow Food’s role as a global
movement for food justice, biodiversity and social change.
The decisions taken in Turin reaffirm Slow Food’s
commitment to act simultaneously at the local and global
levels: supporting communities in transforming food systems
in their own territories while connecting their knowledge,
experiences and demands through a worldwide
movement.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
“Together, we can build food
systems which value the dignity and knowledge of the people
who produce our food. In a world increasingly shaped by
fragmentation and polarization, the message from our
Assembly is clear: building connections is not an abstract
aspiration. It is a political act and an essential condition
for achieving meaningful change”, concluded
Mukiibi.
A renewed international
leadership
The Slow Food Board reconfirmed the
President Edward Mukiibi (Uganda),
Marta Messa, who served as Secretary
General during the previous mandate; Dali Nolasco
Cruz (Mexico), Indigenous rights advocate and
leader of Slow Food’s Indigenous Peoples’ Network;
Francesco Sottile (Italy), professor and
internationally recognized expert on agrobiodiversity; and
elected Ramon Uy Jr. (Philippines), an
organic farmer, social entrepreneur and a leading advocate
for agroecology, sustainable gastronomy and biodiversity
conservation in Southeast Asia. The international Board
reflects the diversity, expertise and global reach of Slow
Food.
Carrying Carlo Petrini’s vision
forward
This was the first Participants’ Assembly
held since the passing of Slow Food founder Carlo
Petrini. Delegates came together to honor his
extraordinary legacy, but also to assume the collective
responsibility of carrying it forward. The Assembly
reaffirmed that Slow Food’s future does not depend on any
single individual. Its strength lies in the relationships,
knowledge and action of thousands of communities connected
across cultures, territories and generations.
Real
Connections for Real Change
At the heart of the
Assembly was the adoption of Real
Connections for Real Change, a new political
declaration that sets out Slow Food’s response to a world
facing interconnected crises: climate disruption, armed
conflict, widening inequalities, democratic backsliding and
the increasing concentration of power within global food
systems.
The declaration calls for stronger action to
protect biodiversity, uphold food as a fundamental human
right, support agroecology and food sovereignty, and defend
the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities whose
knowledge and stewardship are essential for the future of
food systems. The document also warns against technological
solutions that deepen inequalities or strip communities of
control over their resources and knowledge. Innovation, it
states, must serve the common good, strengthen transparency
and democracy, and support rather than replace human
relationships and traditional knowledge.
Four
commitments for the next four years
The Assembly
translated this shared political vision into four strategic
commitments:
– Building stronger and more inclusive
food communities around the world, connecting local action
with the knowledge, solidarity and political strength of a
global movement;
– Expanding the network of farms
advancing agroecology and biodiversity, supporting food
producers who care for ecosystems, regenerate soils and
safeguard the diversity on which the future of food
depends;
– Reaching one million people through food
education and awareness-raising, equipping people of all
ages to understand the consequences of their food choices
and participate in changing food systems;
–
Strengthening Slow Food’s role as a global political
force, bringing the voices, experiences and demands of
communities into the places where decisions about food,
agriculture, climate and biodiversity are
made.
Together, these commitments reaffirm the chore
of the mission of Slow Food: to build communities capable of
turning shared values into collective action.
They
also recognise that coming together as a movement has gained
renewed political relevance. At a time of converging
environmental, social and democratic crises, diversity and
solidarity are not merely ideals. They are a source of
power, resilience, resistance and hope, and a practical
means of confronting challenges that no community can
overcome alone.
These commitments are not abstract
ambitions. They are rooted in work already taking place
every day: in farms applying agroecological practices,
communities protecting seeds and food traditions, fishers
defending aquatic ecosystems, educators changing how young
people understand food, and Indigenous Peoples safeguarding
territories and knowledge.
The strength of the mandate
adopted in Turin will therefore be measured not only by the
movement’s international visibility, but by its capacity
to reinforce this work, connect those carrying it forward
and turn thousands of local actions into a shared force for
systemic change.
Looking ahead
As delegates
left Turin, the Assembly closes, but the work continues with
renewed
urgency.
