INDIGENOUS TERRA MADRE
Indigenous Terra Madre brought together over 600 delegates representing indigenous communities, academia, youth, UN agencies and donors from 62 countries.
The second Indigenous Terra Madre or ITM 2015 Shillong was organised by The Indigenous Partnership, Slow Food International and NESFAS with the support of the Government of Meghalaya and key international organisations. The event served as a platform for these food communities to engage with scientists and policymakers on the theme of The Future We Want: Indigenous Perspectives and Actions.
The event drew together 606 indigenous delegates from 62 countries, with representatives of 169 indigenous communities from around the world. Along with their allies to raise issues and offer solutions for safeguarding their agroecological and culinary innovations, while bringing these ideas to mainstream international attention through a broad communications strategy.
Plenary and thematic sessions at ITM 2015 were designed as forums to explore these concepts and to spark future collaborative initiatives, while the inauguration, field visits and closing festival served to bring these concepts to vivid life. It had several acclaimed speakers like Prince Charles of the UK (through a video), Dr. Winona LaDuke of Minnesota, USA a former running mate of a US Presidential candidate in the year 2000.
On the conclusive day a food festival brought nearly 70000 visitors and was called the Woodstock Festival of Indigenous cuisine. ITM 2015 showcased indigenous traditional knowledge, evolving skills and sustainable practices that safeguard natural resources and contribute to resilient, diverse food systems for a more humane and healthy future for all. It demonstrated that indigenous communities can set positive examples for promoting the pleasure of sustainable food systems that are more socially, economically and culturally just – where wellbeing comes not from the accumulation of wealth but from our connectedness with each other.
The delegates issued the Shillong Declaration which had a preamble where the delegates especially highlighted the Chief Minister “whose strong personal collaboration is a model for similar indigenous events”.
