Last October, Bergamo, in East Lombardy, European Region of Gastronomy 2017 was the framework of the G7 Agriculture ministerial meeting, an occasion to rethink agriculture and food policies through the lenses of sustainability and biodiversity.
The Agriculture Ministers of the G7 Countries, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Economy of the African Union, representatives of the European Union and international organisations such as FAO, OECD, IFAD and the World Food Program attended the meeting. A chance to call for joint commitment and shared responsibility among international actors, the summit addressed different topics of discussion, from hunger and food waste to the protection of local producers and the role of agricultural cooperation in migration management. These efforts culminated in the signature of the G7 Bergamo Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting Communiqué, which sets a series of priorities.
Firstly, the need to protect producers’ income from environmental and climatic crises: FAO will develop an action programme and will set a unique definition of catastrophic event. The second priority calls for an increase in the cooperation with African countries on agriculture aimed to develop partnerships to find and share solutions, practices, and knowledge. Moreover, there is the attempt to strengthen the transparency of food prices to protect local producers from market fluctuation. Food waste was one of the core issues of the debate as well and, in this direction, the declaration sets the intention to establish precise rules and actions to solve this widespread problem. Last but not least, the establishment of policies to track products from the producers to the final consumer, in order to develop systems that are deeply connected to the territory.
During the summit, East Lombardy hosted also the three-day event Astino nel gusto, organised on the spectacular set of the monastery of Astino, in the Valley of Biodiversity, and attended by more than 2400 visitors. For the event, four different itineraries were developed, each one composed of 25 gastronomic stations and offering cooking shows of Italian celebrity chefs, as well as the possibility to taste the best local wines, pastry and bakery. The aim of the event was to showcase the highlights of Italian gastronomy and, especially, the finest flavours of East Lombardy.
According to IGCAT Expert and Scientific Coordinator of East Lombardy, European Region of Gastronomy 2017, Prof. Roberta Garibaldi, interviewed by national Italian Tv: “We are here today with more than 100 chefs, producers and winegrowers to celebrate during three days the wines and gastronomy of Brescia, Bergamo, Cremona and Mantua’s territories, European Region of Gastronomy 2017.”
TV reports (Italian) regarding East Lombardy Region and its events are available at the following links: RaiNews24
Rai1 (from minute 05:00)
About the European Regions of Gastronomy
The European Region of Gastronomy Platform and Award aim to contribute to better quality of life in European regions, by highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability, and stimulating gastronomic innovation. It provides cross-marketing opportunities and longer-term benefits. Being part of the European Region of Gastronomy Platform and bidding for the award brings a range of stakeholders together to confront development challenges in the region.
About IGCAT
IGCAT is a non-profit organisation established in 2012 working in the fields of gastronomy, culture, arts and tourism. Through its worldwide network of experts, IGCAT aims to empower local communities by guiding, facilitating, and supporting local leaders in cities, regions and cultural projects to understand the potential of their distinct food, culture, arts and sustainable tourism assets.
IGCAT is furthermore the official secretariat for the Region of Gastronomy Platform and provides the European Region of Gastronomy Award, the European Young Chef Award and the Innovative Food Souvenir Award.