China plans to develop 1,000 ‘Slow Food Villages’ within five years
Ambitious goal seeks to preserve food culture of rural communities and make village life more appealing to urban dwellers
The head of the China branch of a global organisation that seeks to prevent the disappearance of grass-roots food culture and traditions has announced plans for the development of 1,000 “Slow Food Villages” across the country over the next five years.
“In recent years, China has shifted towards a greener, environmental and ecological model of growth so the conditions are now right for us to [get more involved in] Slow Food,” Sun Qun, secretary general of Slow Food Great China, said.
Slow Food was established as a movement in Italy in 1989. According to its website, it now involves millions of people in more than 160 countries, and works to ensure “everyone has access to good, clean and fair food”.
Sun was speaking after the close of the annual Slow Food International Congress, which was held in Chengdu, capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province, from September 29 to October 1. As a country, China has been involved in the movement for just two years, but the local branch has big plans for the future.
Sun said the concept of the Slow Food Village would be a first for China, and the community of Anren, in Dayi county near Chengdu, had been selected as the pilot for the scheme.