(August 11, 2016) Food, cinema, culture and solidarity are the themes behind the project promoted by IFAD – International Fund for Agricultural Development – that will be presented on Wednesday, August 17 at 21.30 at Isola del Cinema in Rome (at the Renault Lounge, Isola Tiberina – Piazza San Bartolomeo). “Recipes for Change ” is a series of short documentaries lasting 4 minutes each about the most famous chefs in the world to raise awareness about cooking dishes with foods threatened by extinction due to climate change. The star chefs have travelled to remote areas of developing countries to prepare and cook dishes based on native foods with local farmers. The famous Italian chef Carlo Cracco has joined the IFAD campaign: the famous restaurateur has in fact travelled to the eastern part of Morocco to learn the secrets that lie in the preparation of Lamb Tagine with Moroccan truffles. “Climate change is a fact – said Cracco – it is hard to go back. Maybe we can slow its progression, being here helps to understand how important man’s work is: the important thing is to try to build something for those who live here, as long as they remain”. Precisely in that part of the world the plateaus have been affected by desertification and the over-grazing of vegetation that rendered these vast areas bare and traditional foods such as the Moroccan truffles in danger of disappearing. IFAD and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization – UNIDO are working together to reduce poverty by thwarting desertification of an area measuring over 3.5 million hectares. Large areas were replanted with the local flora that is protected by fencing, thereby acting as a natural seed bank that the wind then scatter. To reduce soil erosion thousands of drought-resistant shrubs were planted and small dams to collect rain water were built. To date, approximately 100,000 people have benefited from this project. (Red)