What is terraTerra

In the wake of the Rome edition of t/Terra e Libertà-Critical Wine, which took place in the CSOA Forte Prenestino in October 2004, and of the related debates originated then, emerged the necessity of creating a place where exchange of information, ideas, experiences among small agricultural producers, craftsmen and critical consumers from the urban area could be organized and in which to develop and structure alternative moddels of market and economy.
From the sensibility and committment of these people, the terra Terra markets within thee Forte Prenestino: land workers and food producers must be protagonists in their production, in agreement with the consumers. Take the streets with one’s one produce is therefore the easiest way for farmers to meet consumers directly, avoiding the intermediation of the distribution chain, and building an alternative exchange network.

Terra Terra aims at:
– Safeguarding the agriculture and food heritage made of diverse knowledges and tastes, tackling its’ extinction process.
– Restoring an harmonic relationship with the land, leaving room for happier production and consumption, triggering a virtuous circle in the production’s quality, as well as the quality of the products and of the social interaction.
– Building models for aternative economy through tried and true "best practices"
– Empowerment through the acquisition of new tools to reflect upon, subvert and free the people from the insufferable grip of neo-liberalism and globalization, affirming the principle of food self-determination

Chain- stores’ malls, corporations, governments of every nation, banking institutions all favour the evolution of a planetary control system of the agricultural production which is ruthlessly and recklessly destroying resources, the environment and the relationships. Against these logics, the farmers’ market gathers the experience of the farmers’ movement and and of the solidarity networks, highlighting the need for a bottom-up built agriculture, respecting the land and dignity of the ones who live and work on it. An agriculture without exploitation or poisons.

The connective terra-Terra is experimenting a market based on a true and immediate relationship between producers and consumers. A small scale market, not a niche one, for the diffusion of self-managed exchange and self-assessment practices for food quality, production methods and ethics, that void profits (short chain).

The terra Terra market currently numbers about 50 food producers and craftsmen mainly from Center and Southern Italy, and takes place monthly every 3d Sunday. several months ago, a Sp.A shop was created (Self-managed popular grocery store), in order to sell regularly the t/T products and to inform about experiences and situations that are scarcely "visible". Within the Sp.A, a documents’ center allows to consult the products’ catalogue and the self-assessment forms describing the features of each product, the cultivation methods, the land characteristics, seed origin and source price.

Self-assessment frees the organic producer (when not certified) from agro-business speculations, giving him/her back the responsibiliy of his/her work. The quality of a product is a direct expression of the quality of life and environment where it was generated.

The source price applied by the producer before any additional cost from the distribution chain promotes a relationship based on ethics, responsibility and productive cooperation.
 

Partnership farming commits the producer and the consumer to each other, tends to enforce and develop small local economies giving an active role to the consumer (co-producer).