ARK OFTASTE2012-2017 REPORT
SLOW FOODINTERNATIONAL CONGRESSChengdu 2017
3
1INTRODUCTION
An updated list of Ark products and national commissions and the product nomination form can be found at www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en
Cover:
© Marco Del Comune & Oliver Migliore
Pu’er tea from the Xishuangbanna mountain
forests, China – Ark of Taste
All figures correct as of September 5, 2017
CAPITOLO 1 – INTRODUZIONE
4
products in specific countries (one on the Ark products in
Peru* has already been produced, and another on Brazil is
in progress).
The number of Ark products has quadrupled in five years, and there are now over 4,500 on board, plus more than 1,000 nominations currently under evaluation. The majority of the new products come from
Latin America and Asia, two continents where the threat
to biodiversity is particularly grave.
The battle to savebiodiversity is the battlefor the planet’s future. We can all do something: reflect before buying our food,
choose to prioritize local and seasonal foods, support
sustainable family farming, find out about the origins of
what we eat and, of course, nominate products from our
disappearing heritage to join the Ark.
The Ark is a first indispensable step—we need to know
about products and places in order to take action—but it
is not enough. We need concrete measures: supporting
the producers with Presidia and Earth Markets, involving
chefs through the Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance, organizing
education projects in schools, supporting awareness-
raising campaigns and much more.
Rather than dwelling on what we have lost, let’s focus on what we can still save!
* The book can be downloaded here: https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ADG_Peru_digital.pdf
2012-2017: 5 YEARS OF THEARK OF TASTEFive years have passed since the relaunch of the Ark
of Taste project at the 2012 Slow Food International
Congress in Turin. Back then there were just over a
thousand products on board Slow Food Ark. A great
number, but not enough, given the speed at which our
planet’s resources are being destroyed.
The erosion of food biodiversity (edible plant species and varieties, livestock breeds, traditional foods like breads, cheeses, sweets, cured meats, preserves, etc.), the result of traditional cultures and ancestral knowledge, has taken on a breakneck pace in the last 70 years. In the last decade it has become associated with a new phenomenon that few can ignore: climate change. Global agriculture
is both the victim of this phenomenon and one of its
causes, thanks to the industrialization of agricultural
practices and the spread of monocultures.
Over the past five years, Slow Food, with the collaboration
of its wide network, has started an intense process of
research and nomination of products and livestock breeds
at risk of extinction. At times the risk of extinction is acute,
at others it is expected within a few years unless we see a
slowing of practices like deforestation, land grabbing, the
abandonment of the countryside, the concentration of
production and agricultural industrialization.
During these years the University of Gastronomic Sciences
has introduced the Ark of Taste project into its teaching
program, and its students have provided great support to
the research. They have contributed over 500 nominations
as well as working on publications dedicated to Ark
5
2ARK NUMBERS
6
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
ARK NUMBERS
THE ARK OVER TIME
PRODUCTS
COUNTRIES
4512 PRODUCTS ON THE ARK 4601144 NOMINATIONS UNDER EVALUATION
148 19 100 COUNTRIES INVOLVED
NATIONAL COMMISSIONS
EXPERTS WORLDWIDE COLLABORATING ON PRODUCT SELECTION
ARK PRODUCTS THAT HAVE BECOME SLOW FOOD PRESIDIA
1000
1996 2012 2017
2000
3000
4000
4512
1087
1996 2012 2017
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
148
60
7
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
ARK PRODUCTS AROUND THE WORLD
1171
2336 457
69
479
338 -
Unite
d Stat
es 20
0 - Br
azil
151 - P
eru 60
- Keny
a56
- Sout
h Afric
a38
- Moro
cco
COUN
TRIES
WITH
THE M
OST
PROD
UCTS
ON TH
E ARK
AMER
ICAS
EURO
PE
AFRIC
A
ASIA
OCEA
NIA
COUN
TRIES
WITH
THE
MOST
PROD
UCTS
ON
COUN
TRIES
WITH
THE M
OST
PROD
UCTS
ON TH
E ARK
COUN
TRIES
WITH
THE M
OST
PROD
UCTS
ON TH
E ARK
COUN
TRIES
WITH
THE M
OST
PROD
UCTS
ON TH
E ARK
108 -
India
62 - P
hilipp
ines
60 - C
hina a
nd Sou
th Kor
ea
62 -A
ustral
ia
787 -
Italy
286 -
France
174 - S
pain
Ameri
cas
Eur
ope
Afr
ica
As
ia
Ocea
nia
8
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
Ark Products
100 500300 700200 600400 800 900
15 VINEGAR
11 SEAWEED
59 MISCELLANEOUS
134 DISTILLED AND FERMENTED BEVERAGES
13 CACAO
21 COFFEE
254 CEREALS AND FLOURS
145 SWEETS
870 FRUITS, NUTS AND FRUIT PRESERVES
15 MUSHROOMS
47 INSECTS
433 CHEESES AND OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS
220 LEGUMES
77 HONEY
48 OIL
637 VEGETABLES AND VEGETABLE PRESERVES
149 BREADS AND BAKED GOODS
20 PASTA
235 FISH, SEAFOOD AND FISH PRODUCTS
547 BREEDS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
31 SALT
243 CURED MEATS AND MEAT PRODUCTS
175 SPICES, WILD HERBS AND CONDIMENTS
34 TEAS AND INFUSIONS
75 WINES AND GRAPE VARIETALS
9
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
Many Ark products have been nominated by Terra Madre’s
network of 370 indigenous communities.
Their inclusion in the Ark catalog represents a first step
towards supporting the communities, highlighting the
value of their traditional food systems.
Indeed, 67% of the world’s biodiversity is found in
indigenous lands and 95% of our cultural and linguistic
diversity is preserved by these peoples.
Work on the Ark is part of a wider Slow Food and Terra
Madre campaign to defend the rights and cultures of
indigenous peoples.
The Ark of Indigenous Peoples
288
40
203
143
43
63 - Argentine
AMERICAS
EUROPE
AFRICA
ASIA
OCEANIA
40 - Kenya
16 - Russia
75 - India
40 - Australia
AmericasEuropeAfricaAsiaOceania
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION BY CONTINENT AND COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST INDIGENOUS PRODUCTS ON THE ARK
717 ARK PRODUCTS
76 COUNTRIES INVOLVED
370 INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
43 ARK PRODUCTS THAT HAVE BECOME PRESIDIA
Above: Desert Quandong (Australia)To the right:Serra Catarina Araucaria Nut (Brasil)
10
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
For over 10,000 years, farming communities around
the world have been skillfully selecting, storing,
reproducing and improving seeds, working in harmony
with the distinctive characteristics and resources of
their local areas.
After every harvest they would set aside the seeds
from the best fruits, leading to better and more
nutritious harvests and more resistant plants. But
every day, dozens of plant varieties are disappearing.
We are losing a world of different shapes, colors and
flavors. Our diet is becoming impoverished, based on
a handful of seeds produced by a few multinationals.
Just like a language, seeds are the expression of a
culture and of knowledge with deep roots in a local
area. By including hundreds of traditional varieties in
the Ark of Taste, Slow Food is highlighting the value
of a heritage that belongs to all of us. Slow Food’s
Presidia are a powerful political move, encouraging
and supporting the custodians of biodiversity, while
the international campaigns like the one against GMOs
inform and raise awareness about the threat to our
planet’s plant biodiversity.
The Ark of Seeds
138 205
51
78
2
41 - United States
10 - Kenya
95 - Italy
19 - India
2 - Australia
AmericasEuropeAfricaAsiaOceania
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION BY CONTINENT AND COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST CEREALS AND LEGUMES ON THE ARK
254 CEREALS ON THE ARK
80 COUNTRIES INVOLVED
220 LEGUMES ON THE ARK
61 ARK PRODUCTS THAT HAVE BECOME PRESIDIA
AMERICAS
EUROPE
AFRICA
ASIA
OCEANIA
Mossi Plateau Sweet Sorghum (Burkina Faso) © Marco Del Comune & Oliver Migliore
11
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
Two-thirds of marine resources are currently
impoverished, exploited or over-exploited. Waters are
acidifying and becoming warmer because of climate
change. Over-fishing by big fleets from a few countries
has devastated global fish stocks. The Ark of Taste’s
search for products is part of the international Slow
Fish campaign, which raises awareness about the work
of artisan fishers and promotes the neglected species
that survive in fresh or salt water and are often the
main food resource for small fishing communities.
The Ark of the Rivers and Seas
84 89
24
30
8
20 - Brazil
6 - Uganda
23 - Italy
9 - South Korea
6 - Australia
AmericasEuropeAfricaAsiaOceania
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION BY CONTINENT AND COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST FISH AND SEAFOOD PRODUCTS ON THE ARK
235 PRODUCTS ON THE ARK
45 COUNTRIES INVOLVED
19 ARK PRODUCTS THAT HAVE BECOME PRESIDIA
AMERICAS
EUROPE
AFRICA
ASIA
OCEANIA
To the left: Fal Rivers Oyster (United Kingdom)Above: Horseback-fished Brown Shrimp (Belgium)
12
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
Over 80% of flowering plants are pollinated by insects.
By transporting pollen, they make reproduction
possible for most wild and domesticated plants. The
role of pollinating insects in preserving biodiversity
is crucial. And the world’s 25,000 species of wild and
domesticated bees are the most important of these
pollinators.
Additionally, even before agriculture and beekeeping
developed as we know them today, people were
collecting honey from wild bees. Honey is still found in
many cultures and culinary traditions.
But in Western countries honey bees are dying
because of the use of pesticides or attacks of varroa
mites, while in the global south their habitats are at risk
from deforestation.
The Ark includes many local types of bee and wild
species of culinary interest, while Slow Food uses its
campaigns to raise public awareness about the role of
bees in our planet’s future.
The Ark of Bees
23 26
222
11 - Brazil6 - Unite States3 - Peru
5 - Kenya 4 - Ethiopia3 - South Africa
10 - Italy3 - United Kingdom3 -Turkey
2 - Australia
AmericasEuropeAfricaAsiaOceania
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION BY CONTINENT AND COUNTRIES WITH THE MOST BEES AND HONEY PRODUCTS ON THE ARK
77 HONEYS ON THE ARK
32 COUNTRIES INVOLVED
15 BEES ON THE ARK
12 ARK PRODUCTS THAT HAVE BECOME PRESIDIA
AMERICAS
EUROPE
AFRICA
7
2 - China2 - India2 - Indonesia
ASIA
OCEANIA
Sicilian Black Bee (Sicily, Italy) © Alberto Peroli
13
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
Animals on the Ark
547 ANIMAL BREEDS ON THE ARK
60 52 GOAT BREEDS ON THE ARK
139 CATTLE BREEDS ON THE ARK
124 POULTRY BREEDS ON THE ARK
120 SHEEP BREEDS ON THE ARK
68 INSECTS ON THE ARK
ANIMAL BREEDS ON THE ARKTHAT HAVE BECOME PRESIDIA
Left from above:Navajo-Churro Sheep (United States) Ankole Long-Horned Cattle (Uganda)Maguey Gusano Blanco (Mexico) © Marco Del Comune & Oliver Migliore
Right from above:Patagonia Guanaco (Argentine)Gournay Hen (France)
14
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
In just one year, 60 Chinese products have joined the
Ark of Taste: an impressive achievement, made possible
by the collaboration of the New Rural Reconstruction
Movement, a network of organizations that brings
together experts, agriculturalists, academics and
agricultural producers working to preserve biodiversity. It
wants to give a new boost to rural areas and preserve the
country’s vast wealth of food biodiversity.
Alongside the first project started in China, the Tibetan
Plateau Yak Cheese Presidium (2004), the country is now
represented in the Ark by eight native rice and millet
varieties (both grains originated here), ten varieties of
fruits and vegetables, three types of tea, five sweets, three
animal breeds and many other products, testifying to the
richness and diversity of traditions and environments.
They range from sweet potato and date rolls made by the
Muslim community in Beijing, to Huanghua buns shaped
like animals, flowers and fruit, made for centuries by the
poor so that they would have something to bring to the
altars of their gods, to qianshi seeds from a plant in the
waterlily family, cultivated for over 3,000 years around
Loufeng.
Two native pig breeds, the Xiaohuo and the Qingshuidi,
are also included in the Ark (half of all the pigs in the
world are farmed in China, which is home to over 60
native breeds at risk of extinction), as well as spices and
condiments like wild liliim powder, Peitian turmeric and
Hanyuan pepper.
China, which founds its agricultural system on heavy
industrialization, risks losing its extraordinary heritage
of agricultural biodiversity, traditional knowledge and
local food production practices. This genetic erosion is
threatening the country’s long-term food security and
agricultural sustainability. For this reason, Slow Food’s
work to protect the biodiversity and rich farming culture
of China is more important than ever before.
The Ark in China
60 ARK PRODUCTS
1 SLOW FOOD PRESIDIA
From the top:Tibetan Plateau Yak Cheese Slow Food Presidium (Qinghai ) © Paola VanzoKam Sweet Rice (Guizhou)Xishuangbanna Mountain Forest Pu’er Tea (Yunnan)
15
CHAEPER 2 – ARK NUMBERS
Heb
ei
Jilin
Hen
an
Hub
ei
Jian
gsu
Jian
gxi
Qin
ghai
Beiji
ngPE
CHIN
O
CHEN
GD
U
Tian
jin
Chon
gqin
g
Gui
zhou
Gan
su
Sich
uan
Yunn
an
Inne
r Mon
golia
Shaa
nxi
Shan
xi
Shan
dong
Gua
ngdo
ngG
uang
xi
Fujia
n
1
1
2
1 2
1
5
1
1
3
2
7
1
10 8
7
2
3
4
1
PRESIDIA AND ARK PRODUCTS IN CHINA
ARK P
RODU
CTS
SLOW
FOOD
PRESI
DIA
To see the complete list of the Ark of Taste products from China: https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/nazioni-arca/china-en/
www . s l o w f o o d f o u n d a t i o n . c o m