A small grower from Eastern NSW says when it comes to what gets put on your plate, it’s time people become serious about going slow, supporting what’s small and living local.

Certified OGA organic grower Michael Champion was a recent Australian delegate at this year’s largest Slow Food event - Terra Madre (translation: ‘Mother Earth’) in Italy.

Attended by a record 7,000 strong crowd, he says the conference was a meeting point for a growing number of chefs, farmers and youth who are adamant the world needs to be more conscious about the origins of what it eats.

“Slow Food is about artisan farmers and farms that put care and precision into their product - whether that is a cow, a vegetable, or a piece of fruit,” he says.

“It’s about farms that are bio-diverse, which grow in a particular way that preserves old traditions of production. Slow food is very anti-industrial farming and also anti-GM.

“And it’s about promoting small, local farmers.”

He says organic is a natural fit with most - but not all - of the mantra of the Slow Food Movement.

Slow Food, which was established formally just twenty years ago by Carlo Petrini (initially in protest of the opening of McDonalds in Rome), upholds the pillars of ‘Good, Clean and Fair food’.

The movement believes gastronomy is irrefutably tied to politics, agriculture and the environment.

Slow Food principles state agriculture can only really be sustainable when it is based on the wisdom of local communities, in balance with the ecosystems food is produced in.

Mr. Champion says that is where his concern for organic lies.

Slow food is not always organic - just as organic food is not always local.

He says in his opinion, the benefits of organic fulfilling the ‘Good and Clean’ criteria of Slow Food can be made obsolete if it falls down on ‘Fair’ returns to local farmers.

“I was a buyer in Sydney for five years and I honestly think local food is looked down upon in metropolitan areas (even as interest in organic grows),” he says.

“Unfortunately because of a large proliferation in Australia’s urban population, farming land which used to occupy city outskirts has been developed - and food is purchased from a wider geographic range.

“I do not think food can be described as fair when my neighbour with high quality product produced in the local environment, is forced to compete against someone from the other side of the country.

“Small producers remain an integral part of the backbone of organic - and we need to promote local industries to provide incentives for them to produce enough for the markets that are local to them.”

He says he has no problems with large organic farms - provided they service those areas closest to them.

“I do understand the price of land close to cities is prohibitive to local farming.

“But if large organic farms begin to take market space from more local organic growers - or flood the local market - then it is only a matter of time before products from large Australian organic farms are being replaced by products from large organic plantations in Brazil.”

He says the issue is not isolated to Australia.

“These are global issues - and we’re at the centre of discussions in Italy, where similar views were expressed from round the world.”

But he says there is an onus on Australian consumers to learn to shop better - and purchase local products as a priority.

“Consumers have to be part of the production process in terms of what they consume.

“People have got to start going into organic shops and asking - ‘has the majority of it been sourced locally?’ And if not - ‘Do you know where I can find a local supplier?’ Italian communities are much more responsible in this manner.”

He says eventually it will mean the retailers will ask wholesalers about the origins of their purchase - “And the cycle will begin”.

He says like anything that matters, the process will be slow - “But it can happen!”

For more information on Slow Food Internationally visit www.slowfood.com
For more information on Slow Food in Australia visit http://slowfoodaustralia.com.au/
For more information on Slow Food in the capital city near you visit:
Sydney: http://slowfoodsydney.com.au/
Melbourne: http://www.atasteofslow.com.au
Perth: http://slowfoodperth.org.au/
Brisbane: http://www.slowfoodbrisbane.com/
Canberra: http://www.slowfoodcanberra.com/
Darwin: http://www.slowfooddarwin.com.au/
Adelaide: http://slowfoodaustralia.com.au/convivia/find-a-co nvivium/south-australia/