Meadows: Why They’re Disappearing and How to Save Them

Over the past 60 years, both in Italy and worldwide, permanent meadows and pastures have been rapidly diminishing.

This decline affects both high-altitude meadows and those in hilly and flat areas: on one hand, the mountains have been depopulated, and on the other, monocultures and urbanization have invaded the plains. At Cheese 2023 we sound the alarm, but at the same time, we demonstrate actions to save these ecosystems and all their plant and animal biodiversity. We bring together cheese and honey producers from permanent meadows across Italy. We discuss how preserving them benefits the environment, animal welfare, our health, local economies, and cultures.

Speakers:

• Giampiero Lombardi, Professor, Department of Agricultural, Forestry, and Food Sciences, University;
• Marco Nocetti, director of Primary Production for the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium;
• Jim Levitt, Director of the International Land Conservation Network (ILCN) at the Lincoln Institute;
• Juan Camilo Quintero, Executive Chef of Relais & Chateaux Borgo San Felice;
• Mariana Donnola, farmer at La Argentina, Expert in Regenerative Farming, Deafal; National Association for Organic Regenerative Agriculture
• Antonio Francesco Bortoli, Lattebusche

With testimony from:

• Ariele Muzzarelli, Beekeeper, Apes apicoltura, Metropolitan Pollinators Association of Turin, and Fioraia Project;
• Davide Nicoli, Producer of Slow Food Presidium for Aged Asiago.

Moderator:

Francesco Sottile, Professor of Arboriculture and Tree Cultivation at the Department of Architecture (DARCH) at the University of Palermo, member of the board of Slow Food International, author of the book “On the Side of Nature”.

This event is free and open to all, but precedence will be given to those who have registered their interest online. We advise you to arrive 10 minutes before the beginning of the event. We reserve the right to reassign your place if you do not show up within 5 minutes of the event’s start.

The “Let’s Save Permanent Meadows” project is carried out in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences (DISAFA) and the Department of Veterinary Sciences (DSV) of the University of Turin, the University of Palermo, the University of Camerino, the Institut Agricole Régional of Valle d’Aosta, and the Fondazione Mach. The technical partners are Agricoltura Simbiotica and the Chemical Laboratory of the Chamber of Commerce of Turin. The project is supported by Eataly and the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.

Cheese 2023 is organized by Slow Food and the City of Bra from September 15-18. See you there! #Cheese2023

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