A world meeting of food communities
Turin, October 23-27, 2008

Frequently Asked Questions

Who will be invited to represent the Terra Madre delegation?
The delegation for Terra Madre 2008 will be made up of approximately 6,000 participants, consisting of producers, cooks, students, and educator representatives; almost one fourth of them will be between the ages of 18 to 30, reflecting the Slow Food’s commitment to supporting, engaging, and cultivating the emerging youth food movement.  The US delegation will be 700 people strong.  We are eager to diversify the delegation to include people and communities who have never participated before.  All nomination forms need to be filled out no later than April 30th in order to be considered.

What is required to be considered as a delegate?
One must complete and submit a Terra Madre application form in order to be considered. All delegates will be required to attend the meeting in its entirety, whether they are food producers, cooks, students or educators.

What defines a Food Production Community?
There are two main types of food production communities—those who identify as being part of a ‘local’ or geographic food community, and those who identify more with a certain type of production.  For example, if a producer sells at a farmers’ market, or supplies a local restaurant with her product, she might consider her food community to be the local/geographic network of diversified food producers, for example “Bay Area Farmers Market Community.”  Alternatively, a producer might identify more closely with method of production or the same type of food, for example Estonia’s “Dried and Smoked Flounder Producers” community or the USA’s “American Raw Milk Cheese Producers” community.

How many people compose a food community?
This year there will be no more than 3 delegates per community. With thousands of people from all seven continents gathering in the city of Turin, Italy for five days, Slow Food is committed to allowing for representation from around the country and the world and responsibly managing the crowd by capping the total number of participants.

What is the cost of participating?
The only cost to US delegates is travel to and from Italy.  The benefits of being chosen as a delegate include complete Slow Food sponsorship for housing, in-country travel, and meals, an approximate value of $1,500. All delegates attending Terra Madre will have free accommodation for the entire duration of the event.

All delegates from the United States are expected to pay for their own ticket to and from Italy, unless they have been sponsored by a convivium or organization that is paying this expense.

How will the delegates be chosen?
Since the at-large allotment of the 2008 delegation is limited to a small number of representatives per country and per category, the selection process will be extremely competitive. Slow Food USA will review the applications carefully in order to select the most qualified ambassadors of “good, clean, and fair” values—those known and, until now, unknown to the movement.

Will convivium leaders be able to attend?
Yes. As in Terra Madre 2004 and 2006, convivium leaders may attend as observers of the meeting at their own expense (housing, meals, transportation, etc.). Please notify the US Terra Madre Coordinator, Jerusha Klemperer, of your interest.  If a convivium leader would like to apply under one of the given delegate categories he/she is welcome to do so.

Whom should I contact about Press attending the conference?
The Slow Food International Press office will be able to handle your request. Please contact them at: press@slowfood.it.

How can I attend Terra Madre if I am not part of the official delegation or am not a convivium leader?
There will be a limited allotment for partner organizations, and others to observe the meeting. More information will be made available shortly.

Will Terra Madre be held at the same time as the Salone del Gusto?
Yes, Terra Madre and the Salone del Gusto will be held concurrently and will again be held in Turin, Italy. More information on the exact location of Salone will be made available shortly.

Who should I contact for further inquiries about the 2008 Edition of Terra Madre?
Please send an email to: Jerusha at jerusha@slowfoodusa.org

Terra Madre at a Glance: Timeline

• April 30: Deadline for completing application forms online.
• June 30: By this date all applicants will be notified of their acceptance and be given a Flight and Housing form.
• July 30: Deadline for submitting the Flight and Housing form.
• October 23-27: Terra Madre 2008 and the Salone del Gusto held in Turin, Italy.