1 December 2015
Terra Madre Conference Showcases Indigenous Contributions to Sustainable Development
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The second Indigenous Terra Madre Conference (ITM 2015) provided a forum for indigenous food communities to engage with scientists and policy makers and representatives from UN agencies to showcase their contributions to resilient food systems.

The event highlighted how indigenous perspectives, traditional knowledge, skills and practices support sustainable development.

terra_madre23 November 2015: The second Indigenous Terra Madre Conference (ITM 2015) provided a forum for indigenous food communities to engage with scientists and policy makers and representatives from UN agencies to showcase their contributions to resilient food systems. The event highlighted how indigenous perspectives, traditional knowledge, skills and practices support sustainable development.

Jointly organized by the Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty, Slow Food International, and the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS), the event provided a platform to discuss indigenous perspectives on agrobiodiversity under the theme, ‘the future we want: indigenous perspectives and actions.’

The programme included plenary sessions on issues such as: local food systems; understanding perceptions of well-being; the role of indigenous communities in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); supporting agroecology and agrobiodiversity for food security; and climate change and local food systems.

Among other conclusions, participants stressed the need to better understand the role of indigenous food systems in conserving agricultural biodiversity, and underlined the importance of land tenure and capacity building as key factors supporting indigenous conservation efforts.

The conference also showcased research supported by Bioversity International, a member of the CGIAR Consortium, on underutilized crops as well as an exhibit on its work on local crops originating from the hosting region. ITM 2015 was held 3-7 November 2015 in Shillong Meghalaya, India. [ITM 2015 Website] [ITM 2015 Press Release] [Bioversity International Press Release]

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