Nov. 1 – For the first time in Africa, and in Maputo (Mozambique) more specifically, the Earth Market will take place: Saturday, Nov. 2 from 10am to 4pm. Earth Market was ideated in 2005 by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity as a special “format” to be replicated in different cities around the world (from Austria to India, from Israel to the United States). Earth Markets are places where you preserve biodiversity and local food culture while promoting fresh products, putting in direct contact small producers and consumers. Every month, the Maputo Earth Market will bring to the gardens of Parque dos Continuadores small farmers and producers from around the Province. The products for sale will be exclusively “good, clean and fair,” that is local, seasonal and at fair prices for both sellers and buyers: vegetables, fruits, fresh fish, rice, fruit juices, jams and bajias, the typical fried vegetables of Mozambique. To promote good practices, the head of Earth Market – Maputo will visit the Italian edition in Bologna. “The Earth Market is an innovative activity for Mozambique, consistent with the mission in Africa supported by our Bologna-based GVC NGO. We support environmental sustainability all over the continent, even in countries like Burundi and Burkina Faso – says GVC’s president, Patrizia Santillo – We encourage small producers to maintain high-quality production and we guarantee market access means not only increase their income but help the entire community, connecting development with food sovereignty and respect for the environment.” Piero Sardo, President of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, adds “the opening of the first Earth Market in Africa is a tremendous achievement, the result of many years of experience and the work of Slow Food in 25 African countries. We achieved a difficult goal even for the Northern hemisphere: the rules that farmers must observe on product quality, seasonality, the distance between the farming areas, and social equity are stringent. And the fact that it has become possible to establish an Earth Market here is also a testimony to the vitality and richness of traditional food production in the area.”
