A Saharan dust storm is expected to bring hazy skies and poor breathing conditions to San Antonio, TX, especially for those with respiratory illnesses.

The dust storm can cause droughts and water scarcity in the Americas by decreasing rainfall.

The storm can maintain high temperatures, exacerbating heat-related illnesses.

Saharan dust can cause respiratory diseases, allergies, and skin problems, especially in those with pre-existing conditions.

Dust storms can harm coral reefs, various crops, and the economy.

Individuals with respiratory illnesses should stay indoors and avoid vigorous exercise during the storm.

Keeping windows and doors closed and avoiding outdoor activity can help reduce exposure to the dust, especially for vulnerable populations.

The storm may cause power outages and disrupt the city's transportation systems.

The storm can reduce visibility, leading to accidents and disrupting power grid maintenance.

Measures like reducing dust emissions and raising environmental awareness can help prevent power outages or disruptions.

The city can minimize transportation disruptions by improving infrastructure, enhancing public transit, and promoting alternative modes.

Effective communication about Saharan dust storms' health risks and precautions is crucial.

Saharan dust storms can carry harmful bacteria and fungi, causing allergies and respiratory issues worldwide.

Dust storms can trigger allergy symptoms, particularly in people with asthma or other lung conditions.

Those with lung diseases, like asthma, are particularly vulnerable to dust storm health risks.

Wearing particle-retaining masks can help mitigate the effects of dust storms on air quality and health.

The city can protect citizens' health by monitoring air quality, issuing health alerts, and promoting measures like wearing masks and staying indoors during dust storms.

Saharan dust storms can reduce solar energy production by up to 80%.

Dust can reduce sunlight reaching solar panels by 15%.

A Saharan dust storm is expected to bring hazy skies and poor breathing conditions to San Antonio, TX, especially for those with respiratory illnesses.

Title:

Content: Breaking News
More () »

San Antonians may want to stay indoors next week. Here's why.

A noticeable change in the air will arrive to the Alamo City next week.

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio skies could look quite different next week but not in the way we're hoping for.

As San Antonians eagerly wait for rain to break our triple-digit temperatures another common occurrence will pick-up next week known as Saharan dust.

The dust is a combination of sand and dust traveling from North Africa across the Atlantic that peaking in late June through mid-August.

Light amounts of Saharan dust have arrived to the Alamo City this past week but will become more noticeable. Therefore, if you have asthma, COPD or any other type of respiratory illness you will want to stay indoors as much as possible during this time.

Timing of Saharan dust:

Monday - Little changes will be in the forecast as heavier amounts of dust remain over the gulf coast.

Credit: KENS 5 Weather

Tuesday - A large moderate level of Saharan dust will move into South Texas and San Antonio by late afternoon. San Antonians may notice hazy skies and trouble breathing if you're more sensitive to dusty air. But the dust doesn't stop here.

Credit: KENS 5 Weather

Wednesday - By mid-week Saharan dust ramps up continuing to build and push farther north stretching to the Dallas area. The continuing flow of the dust is partly due to a high pressure bringing a southeasterly flow to help pump the dust toward South Texas.

Credit: KENS 5 Weather

Thursday - As the week progresses dust levels continue to rise and could affect air quality levels. For those with any respiratory illnesses they should avoid outdoor activity including vigorous exercise. Also try to keep windows and doors closed. We will continue to monitor this development next week.

Credit: KENS 5 Weather

As dust increases across the area, San Antonians will notice more vibrant sunrises and sunsets. However, during the afternoons the sky appears a more milky white color.

Before You Leave, Check This Out

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

What are the negative health effects of Saharan dust?

What areas of the Americas have been affected by Saharan dust storms?

What areas of the US have been affected by Saharan dust storms?

The dust storm can cause droughts and water scarcity in the Americas by decreasing rainfall.

The storm can maintain high temperatures, exacerbating heat-related illnesses.

Saharan dust can cause respiratory diseases, allergies, and skin problems, especially in those with pre-existing conditions.

Title:

Content: Havana, Cuba.- Cubans are entering the final days of July with a forecast of high temperatures, accompanied by little rain throughout the national territory.

In recent days, the heat punished the inhabitants of the Caribbean island, where through the Institute of Meteorology it was learned that in 38 of the 68 stations subordinate to the scientific entity, temperatures above 34 Celsius degrees were reported.

Meanwhile, the nightly broadcast of the National Television Newscast specified that in the eastern territory of Granma 39°C were registered on Saturday.

Behind it, the most overwhelmed towns were Colón in the western province of Matanzas with 37.2 °C; and Bainoa, in the also western province of Mayabeque, with 36.5 °C; while in the capital the thermometers marked 36 °C.

Days prior to the establishment of these temperature records for the current month, the Institute of Meteorology warned about the arrival of a cloud of dust from the Sahara on the island.

The experts explained that this phenomenon would cause a new decrease in rainfall and would maintain the feeling of great heat.

These clouds contain iron, silica, fungi, bacteria, viruses, various pathogenic mites, among other elements. They can cause acute respiratory diseases, allergies and skin problems.

Dust from the Sahara affects coral reefs, and fruit, rice, sugar cane, bean and other crops. It is caused by storms that occurred in the Sahara desert, coming out of the African continent.

It moves over the freshest and most humid marine air, and joining the flow of the trade winds, it quickly reaches the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

What are the negative health effects of Saharan dust?

Dust storms can harm coral reefs, various crops, and the economy.

What are the negative effects of Saharan dust storm on agriculture?

What are the negative effects of Saharan dust storm on the ecosystems?

smothers coral reefs by blocking sunlight and hindering photosynthesis

Individuals with respiratory illnesses should stay indoors and avoid vigorous exercise during the storm.

How can people protect their health during Saharan dust storms?

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

What can people do to prepare for dust storms?

Keeping windows and doors closed and avoiding outdoor activity can help reduce exposure to the dust, especially for vulnerable populations.

How can people protect their health during Saharan dust storms?

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

The storm may cause power outages and disrupt the city's transportation systems.

The storm can reduce visibility, leading to accidents and disrupting power grid maintenance.

Title:

Content: Dust storms.
sources and danger.
|
At the beginning of this year's spring season, the incidence of dust storms increased significantly.
Their frequency varies from year to year, but generally increases in the transitional periods between seasons, especially spring and autumn, for many reasons, some natural and others of a human nature, that is, by man.
Dust storms are fast winds that transport dust and plankton, causing a lack of visibility at short distances.
Despite the great controversy over the causes of dust or dust storms and the fact that the camel bears full responsibility for their occurrence, as stated in one of the videos circulated on social media, the reasons are not limited to the poor camel alone, even if it is one of the reasons!
The causes of dust storms are many, including: (1) Desertification as a result of drought resulting from low rainfall.
(2) Desertification due to human activities associated with overgrazing as a result of increasing numbers of camels and sheep on pasture capacity.
(3) Extensive agricultural activities, especially ploughing the land and leaving it exposed for long periods.
(4) Soil movement as a result of development and military actions and absurd car tracks in deserts that led to the breaking and dismantling of the soil and the destruction of vegetation cover.
(5) The reduction of the surface groundwater table, which led to the drying of the soil and thus the impact on the vegetation cover.
Globally, sub-Saharan Africa is the main contributor to Earth ’ s dust storms, which travel to the Americas via the Atlantic Ocean via tropical east winds.
But the Fertile Crescent has also become a source of dust, due to the halving of agricultural production as a result of climate change.
Iraq is one of the sources of dust storms as a result of the decline of the level of rivers, which led to the drought of the marshes and lakes in Iraq and Iran, and add to the list of sources open deserts of the Kingdom, which suffer environmental degradation as a result of human tampering of unfair grazing and wood and the like.
Dust storms are one of the factors responsible for increased allergic reactions, asthma attacks and chronic breathing problems, as well as blood vessels and heart disease.
Dust storms are also carriers of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, germs and viruses that cause certain diseases.
Besides, dust storms have economic effects, they adversely affect agricultural production by transporting agricultural pests, reducing photosynthetic activity, destroying crops, as well as affecting infrastructure, by reducing visibility, disrupting energy and air and road transport systems, burying railways, as well as contributing to the deterioration of the performance of solar panels, as well as damaging residential property.
There is no doubt that dust storms and their increased frequency are a warning sign that requires a rapid response through a review of environmental regulations, the need to raise the environmental awareness of the population, the organization of grazing seasons based on the identification of the pastoral capacity of each region, as well as innovative solutions to mitigate desertification that benefit from tremendous technical progress.
Finally, it follows from the above that the problem is not country-specific, but a regional problem that requires concerted efforts.
The Green Middle East initiative by Prince Mohammed bin Salman is designed to design innovative solutions to address climate change and promote environmental sustainability through a number of projects, including: planting 50 billion trees across the Middle East region and reclaiming 200 million hectares of degraded land through afforestation, which contributes to a 2.5 per cent reduction in global carbon emissions.
Publish it.

What are the negative effects of Saharan dust storm on infrastructure?

Measures like reducing dust emissions and raising environmental awareness can help prevent power outages or disruptions.

The city can minimize transportation disruptions by improving infrastructure, enhancing public transit, and promoting alternative modes.

Effective communication about Saharan dust storms' health risks and precautions is crucial.

Title:

Content: 03-27-2024

Sahara desert dust storms carry harmful bacteria and fungi around the globe

We often dismiss springtime allergies as reactions to local pollen. Yet, something else might cause our sniffles and sneezes: a massive dust storms that originate thousands of miles away in Africa’s Sahara region.

These gargantuan dust plumes travel the globe every summer, carrying a cocktail of pollutants and potential pathogens across continents.

Dr. Shankar Chellam, a Texas A&M University professor is leading the charge to understand the biological hitchhikers within dust storms.

He and his team are working to determine what microbes, specifically bacteria and fungi, migrate with the dust and explore their potential impact on human health.

Hidden passengers in Sahara dust

“We all get allergies and potentially other more severe health effects when we breathe in dust, and it’s not fully known as to what causes those allergies,” said Dr. Chellam.

“Some people may think it is just the sand or clay minerals in the dust. Others think it is the metals or organics in the dust, and then some think it’s the bacteria and fungi.”

The Saharan dust cloud carries vast amounts of sand particles that transport bacteria and fungi.

Dr. Chellam’s research uniquely addresses how Saharan dust storms introduce these microbes into North America.

What the dust storm from Sahara tells us

Dr. Chellam and his team analyzed samples from a Saharan dust event that reached Houston in 2018. They measured metals, bacteria, and fungi to investigate any connections.

Fascinatingly, their findings revealed strong links between the biodiversity of the microbes and specific elements, especially calcium.

While these elements occur naturally in the Sahara, they also exist in our local environments. Pinpointing the exact origin of the dust and its cargo remains a challenge that scientists continue to tackle.

Our air – Not as empty as we think

Perhaps the most startling discovery is that even seemingly lifeless clouds of dust brim with biological activity.

“A key takeaway from this study is that a lot of biodiversity is not scientifically described. It doesn’t have a name, it can’t be cultured, and because it can’t be cultured, it’s difficult to study,” explained Dr. Daniel Spalink, assistant professor at Texas A&M.

The team’s high-tech DNA analysis allowed them to create an inventory of bacteria and fungi, even if the microbes themselves weren’t active.

Surprisingly, they found traces of several pathogens known to cause disease in humans, as listed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“It doesn’t tell us if they are going to be able to infect us and make us sick,” Spalink cautions, “But at least the DNA of several pathogenic bacteria and fungi were identified in the African dust.”

Impact of climate change on Sahara dust

Climate change is altering weather patterns globally. This transformation affects dust storm behavior, leading to variations in their frequency and intensity.

In 2020, the United States experienced the most massive Saharan dust storm ever recorded, which experts named “Godzilla.”

This event highlighted the potential for increasing occurrences of such dust invasions. “The whole dynamics of the Saharan dust coming to Houston is primarily driven by atmospheric processes,” said Dr. Sourav Das, a former student of Dr. Chellam.

Global connection of Sahara dust

Sahara dust storm travels far beyond the borders of North America, affecting global environmental systems in profound ways.

This dust, originating from the vast Sahara Desert, embarks on transcontinental journeys that influence climate, ocean biology, and ecosystems far removed from its source.

The Saharan dust plays a critical role in climate regulation. As it travels across oceans and continents, it reflects sunlight back into space, cooling the Earth’s surface.

This natural phenomenon acts as a counterbalance to the warming effects of greenhouse gases, showcasing how desert dust can influence global temperatures.

However, the dust also carries microorganisms and nutrients, such as phosphorus, that fertilize remote ecosystems, from the Amazon rainforest to the Caribbean Sea, demonstrating nature’s complex nutrient cycles.

Benefits to oceans

Ocean biology benefits from the nutrient-rich dust as well. When Saharan dust settles on ocean waters, it delivers essential minerals that stimulate the growth of phytoplankton.

These microscopic plants form the foundation of the oceanic food chain, supporting a diverse array of marine life.

The influx of nutrients from the Sahara can thus boost marine productivity, affecting fish populations and the global fishing industry.

Disadvantages

The impact of Saharan dust is not universally beneficial. In ecosystems unaccustomed to the influx of foreign particles and nutrients, the dust can disrupt local environments.

For example, excessive dust deposition can smother coral reefs, blocking sunlight and hindering photosynthesis. This can stress coral ecosystems, leading to bleaching events and loss of biodiversity.

Moreover, the health implications of Saharan dust extend across continents. The dust carries not only nutrients but also pollutants and pathogens that can affect air quality and public health.

Communities in the path of these dust plumes may experience increased respiratory issues, allergies, and diseases, highlighting the need for global health monitoring and preparedness.

Study insights

It’s crucial to gather data across multiple dust events, spanning many years, to get a clearer picture of these airborne microbial communities and how they might transform over time.

While a lot remains unknown, research like this shines a spotlight on the hidden travelers swirling in the air we breathe — travelers who might be affecting our health in surprising ways.

The next time you catch a glimpse of a dust storm rolling in, remember the globe-trotting microbes it carries!

The findings of the study are published in Environmental Science & Technology.

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–

News coming your way
The biggest news about our planet delivered to you each day

How can the authorities prepare for a Saharan dust storm?

Saharan dust storms can carry harmful bacteria and fungi, causing allergies and respiratory issues worldwide.

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

What are the negative health effects of Saharan dust?

Dust storms can trigger allergy symptoms, particularly in people with asthma or other lung conditions.

Title:

Content: Dust storm from Sahara to hit Türkiye

Dust storm from Sahara to hit Türkiye

İZMİR

A massive dust storm from the Sahara Desert is expected to shroud the country, with experts warning citizens, especially those with respiratory disorders, to take precautions.

Professor Dr. Doğan Yaşar, a climate scientist, cautioned that a period of intense dust transport will begin on March 25.

"Red-colored desert dust laden with iron particles will arrive in large quantities," he explained.

"While this dust fertilizes the soil and benefits agriculture, it can also trigger allergy symptoms like dry cough and sneezing, especially for people with asthma or other lung conditions,” he said.

Yaşar emphasized the importance of wearing masks during this period. "People with lung diseases should wear a particle-retaining mask for three weeks, if possible," he advised. "Regular masks can offer some protection as well."

"A single pine tree produces 12 billion pollen. Thus, during this period, pollen multiplies very intensively in the air. When we inhale this, we experience discomfort. It is especially dangerous for people with lung diseases such as asthma," he added.

The dust storm is a natural phenomenon that occurs annually, transporting around two billion tons of dust from the Sahara to various parts of the world. The professor highlighted the ecological benefits of this dust, which acts as a natural fertilizer. However, he cautions that the concentrated dust can irritate airways and exacerbate allergies.

While the dust storm may cause temporary inconveniences, Yaşar reassured citizens that there's no need for alarm.

"The dust benefits agriculture, but it's important to be aware of the potential health risks, especially for those with respiratory problems," he concluded.

dust storms, Türkiye,

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

What are the negative health effects of Saharan dust?

Those with lung diseases, like asthma, are particularly vulnerable to dust storm health risks.

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

What are the negative health effects of Saharan dust?

Wearing particle-retaining masks can help mitigate the effects of dust storms on air quality and health.

How can people protect their health during Saharan dust storms?

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

The city can protect citizens' health by monitoring air quality, issuing health alerts, and promoting measures like wearing masks and staying indoors during dust storms.

How can people protect their health during Saharan dust storms?

How can the authorities prepare for a Saharan dust storm?

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

How can people protect their health during Saharan dust storms?

How can the authorities prepare for a Saharan dust storm?

How does Saharan dust affect immediate weather?

Saharan dust storms can reduce solar energy production by up to 80%.

Title:

Content: EventsPodcast
Find us!
Announcement
How does dust from the Sahara Desert affect solar energy?
Copyright euronews
Copyright euronews
Written by Jeremy Wilks
Posted in
Share this article
Share this article
Copy / paste the video link of the article below Copied
Research shows that dust storms coming from the Sahara Desert can severely damage solar energy production.
So, what can be done to better manage this problem?
Climate Now reports from Andalusia on efforts to beat the dust.
Announcement
On this month ’ s episode of Climate Now, we set out to southern Spain to report on the growing problem of Sahara dust, which has a significant impact on solar power generation.
Our visit to southern Spain comes as the Copernicus Climate Change Authority announced that we have seen the highest ever recorded temperature for May 2024, registering a temperature rise of 0.65 ° C above the 1991-2020 average.
This is the 12th consecutive month with the highest recorded temperature for the month in question.
In May 2024, we witnessed extreme weather conditions in many areas.
Floods in Brazil have displaced more than half a million people, temperatures in the Delhi region of India hit 49.9 degrees Celsius, its highest recorded to date, and Finland issued a heatwave warning of temperatures rising to more than 27 degrees Celsius.
In Europe, heavy rains led to flooding in southwestern Germany, Belgium, and northern Italy.
Massive losses in solar power generation due to Sahara dust
The dust of the Sahara Desert in Europe is famous for turning its skies orange, which reduces air quality and leaves a fine layer of dust on the roofs of homes and cars.
On the other hand, it causes another growing problem known as “dirty ” solar cells.
At Gianni University in Andalusia, we met with Dr. Eduardo Fernández and Professor Florencia Almonacid, who were among the authors of a recent paper that found that the severe dirt on the panels in March 2022 reduced solar capacity by up to 80 percent.
Dr Fernandez told Euronews: “It felt like we were on Mars where everything turned red. ”
March 2022 saw extreme weather, but even small amounts of dust could reduce the amount of sunlight reaching solar cells by 15%, and with the rapid growth of solar energy in Europe, losses from dirt could account for billions of euros a year.
Therefore, the research team at Jian University is using photovoltaic laboratories to find solutions.
Some scientists focus on developing dust-resistant layers, while others look at how dust accumulates with different weather conditions, such as high and low temperatures, and low rainfall.
There are many variables that need to be taken into account.
For example, dust grains may be of different sizes or colors, and can affect how well solar panel installations perform.
Even design elements make a difference, such as whether a painting is frameless or has a solid lip around its tip.
Professor Almonacid says that Sahara dust is particularly problematic: "Sahara dust particles are very fine.
It ’ s especially hard to clean. ”
The Cost and Benefit Dilemma of Solar Panel Cleaning
Renewable energy company Sonnedix faces the grime challenge every day, monitoring production from each solar power generation site and carefully calculating when cleaning PV panels is commercially feasible.
The cost of cleaning is considerable – around €400-500 per megawatt – so there are difficult choices to make depending on how the power plant is priced.
Joanne Fernandez, chief operating officer of the company, told Euronews: “As you generate electricity, every kilowatt-hour is important for the plant ’ s revenue, so this dust weather has a big impact. ”
He is now working with meteorologists to help plan cleaning sessions according to dirt weather conditions, and the amount of rainfall, as light spray may increase the soiling of the panels, and heavy rain may wash them away for free.
“Severe dust storms coming from the Sahara desert could actually lead to a significant reduction in production within the network, and this could cause a significant problem for the network operator, ” he explains.
“So forecasting, forecasting, and the ability to proactively manage the network is the most important, ” he says.
Announcement
Have dust storms from the Sahara increased due to climate change?
The recent increase in dust storms coming from the Sahara desert could be the result of natural climate variability, or it could be caused by something else.
A spokesman for the Copernicus Meteorological Authority told Euronews: “Although the arrival of dust plumes from the Sahara to Europe is not unusual, there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of such weather conditions in recent years, and may be attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. ”
There is some speculation that these changes in atmospheric air circulation patterns are linked to climate change.
Dust expert Dr. Eduardo Fernandez says: “Scientists are always cautious about drawing conclusions, and that should be the case, right? ”
“But what we ’ re seeing is that there ’ s been a dramatic increase in extreme weather conditions, not just in terms of slabs getting dirty, but also in terms of rainfall and wind blowing.
“We are recording more dust storms coming from the Sahara, and they are increasingly penetrating into larger areas in northern Europe, and there is, of course, suspicion that global warming is the cause, ” he concludes.
Announcement
Share this article

What are the negative effects of Saharan dust storm on infrastructure?

Dust can reduce sunlight reaching solar panels by 15%.

What are the negative effects of Saharan dust storm on infrastructure?


The slow food movement originated in Italy in the 1980s to promote traditional food and local ingredients in response to a McDonald's opening in Rome.

Carlo Petrini founded the movement to defend regional food traditions and promote mindful consumption, respecting seasonality and reducing environmental impact.

The slow food movement has spread to over 150 countries with around 100,000 members worldwide, including in Taiwan, the Philippines, India, and Malaysia.

The movement emphasizes local food, traditional cuisine, and sustainable agriculture, encouraging support for local producers and outlets.

The slow food movement promotes community, culture, and sustainability, while respecting seasonality and minimizing environmental impact.

The movement has been promoted in countries like Italy, Austria, and Azerbaijan, using local ingredients and traditional cooking methods.

The slow food movement has been adapted to local cultures, such as promoting millet farming in India and preserving traditional cuisine in Malaysia.

The Taitung Slow Food Festival in Taiwan promotes traditional food culture and environmental protection.

Taitung, Taiwan, a 5-star city for food education, offers the best slow food cuisine with a focus on organic farming and eco-friendly practices.

To avoid cultural appropriation, engage with the borrowed culture, give proper credit and compensation, and amplify underrepresented voices.

The slow food movement promotes local cultures, respects traditions, and models sustainable food practices worldwide.

The movement can promote cultural exchange and preserve traditional food cultures.

The slow food movement has led to rural tourism development, with 13 Taitung villages recognized for their services, promoting cultural exchange globally.

The movement promotes reconciliation with Indigenous communities by connecting people to local lands, resources, and economies through initiatives like school food programs.

The slow food movement originated in Italy in the 1980s to promote traditional food and local ingredients in response to a McDonald's opening in Rome.

Title:

Content: Praise the slow pace of life.
Explore the fun of the world calmly
The idea of slow living negates the belief that a successful person should be busy or fast, and encourages the person to be present consciously at every moment.
Once the society is saturated with the new, it returns to the past, and this is what happens in art, decoration, fashion, and social trends.
From here, too, the slow pace of life can be seen as a return to the old calm in some way, after the rhythm of life has become too fast to keep up with.
The idea of a slow life can be a convenient orientation for those who are looking for a calm state of mind, trying to take a long-term view of life and the world away from constant stress, anxiety and gasping.
Slow living helps us live more consciously and clearly with what we value and need in life, where we do everything at the right speed, rather than constantly striving for speed.
The idea of slow living negates the belief that a successful person must be busy or fast, and encourages the person to be present consciously at every moment.
Life is better, not faster.
The idea of slow living is part of the broader slow movement that began in the 1980s in Italy.
After opening McDonald ’ s restaurants in the heart of Rome, Carlo Petrini and a group of activists formed a movement defending regional food traditions called Slow Food.
Over time, the movement has gained supporters in more than 150 countries, trying to encourage the enjoyment of good food and conscious consumption that encourages respect for seasonality, and to minimize the negative impact on the environment of food production.
Carlo Petrini ’ s idea began to take shape when he noticed the disconnect between farmer and consumer, due to the huge boutiques and fast food restaurants that fed central Rome and dramatically eroded local food traditions.
Carl Honoré, one of the most famous theorists of the idea of slow living, helped bring the idea to areas other than food when he published a book in Praise of Slow in 2004.
Awareness is growing about slow travel, slow thinking and slow action, all of which are examples of the different branches of the slow living movement.
Not all slowness is negative.
As more people were forced to slow down their lifestyle, interest in slow living increased during the epidemic period.
The search for the term slow life has increased by 4 times in Google and YouTube.
Although some of these images and videos depict a romantic rural life far from reality, for most people, the increase in research related to this content shows the desire to return to nature and seek hobbies closer to it, especially as a large number of people turned to remote work, which gave the opportunity to connect more with the self and search for what is truly pleasing, which is forgotten in the midst of a fast and breathless life.
The slow life movement gets rid of the negative connotations of the word "slow", which some may associate with laziness and non-productivity.
Carl Honoré explains the difference between good slowness and negative slowness, as good slowness is the deliberate slowness to do things at the right speed to achieve the best result.
On the other side, there is also good speed and bad speed.
Speed can be exciting and exhilarating in the right circumstances while the rush to finish things from just above the surface without going deep is just the opposite, because it causes distraction and is difficult to prioritize.
Essential elements of slow living
Slow living doesn ’ t mean we give up technology and fall back into old times, but it does help us give up distracting activities, make us reclaim our own time to become more present and aware of every moment in life, and help build stronger relationships and spend quality time with friends and children.
It also helps us build our own values, design the lifestyle that suits us, and dedicate time to what we ’ re really looking for, not what the fast-paced lifestyle of the planet forces us to do.
A slow life entails taking a break and redefining our relationship with things like a phone, tablet, or other gadgets like them, and then making room for screen-free time.
Honoré says, “The cornerstone of slow living is to form balanced and more humane relationships with modern technologies.
“We have to somehow learn when to go ahead with technology and when to slow down and stop moving between social media, the Netflix screen or even aimlessly surfing the internet. ”
Honoré also emphasizes the need to let go of the fear of rejection or being lost, and instead of trying to do everything, we should choose only what matters to us and touches us, without the worry of saying the word “no ”.
We must say no to everything that does not concern us and not increase the burden we place on ourselves.
We have to prioritize carefully and let everything else go, having grown tired of the speed with which we feel we are racing rather than actually living our lives.
We always wait for a moment other than the moment we live, which makes us feel that our lives are vanishing in vain.
Slow life solidifies deep pleasures and strong emotions, away from entertainment and shallow pleasures that fade away shortly and leave us burdened with feelings of frustration and loneliness.
Source: Websites

On returning to traditional food methods

What happened after the opening of McDonald's restaurants in Rome opened?

When did Carlo Petrini launch the Slow Food Movement?

Carlo Petrini founded the movement to defend regional food traditions and promote mindful consumption, respecting seasonality and reducing environmental impact.

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What happened after the opening of McDonald's restaurants in Rome opened?

Who is founder of the Slow Food Movement?

An Italian sociologist and activist
Carlo Petrini

The slow food movement has spread to over 150 countries with around 100,000 members worldwide, including in Taiwan, the Philippines, India, and Malaysia.

Title:

Content: Breaking The Industrial Cycle With Slow Food

Where do you go to get your groceries? If your first thought was your local supermarket, you are not alone. Shopping in large grocery stores became the norm for many of us, and we rely on these outlets more than we realise. They are convenient, filled to the brim with seemingly every product you could imagine and have a price point that fits most pockets.

From afar it seems like the perfect solution, but we all witnessed what happened in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic turned life on its head and among many others, highlighted the fragility of our food economy and the part supermarkets play in it.

The University of Oxford describes our food system as “a complex set of interconnected practices and relationships that ultimately deliver food from farms, processing facilities, factories, warehouses, and retailers, to the dinner table.”

Slow Food

The industrial food system is built for scale and efficiency with an aim to maximise production, reduce cost, and function much like factories.

Although many supermarkets and producers are taking steps to include the origins of their products on their labels, there is still not enough transparency around where our food actually comes from. This industrialised structure offers customers accessibility to a wider range of products at more affordable prices but has economic and environmental impacts that many are not aware of.

Industrial agriculture is notorious for using a range of fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides in their processes to maximise output, some of which stays present in the soil long after the crops are harvested. The products are then processed in factories, stabilised with preservatives and packaged in plastic, all occurring before they are loaded onto long haul freights, planes, lorries to arrive in distribution centres and eventually to supermarket shelves.

BBC Good Food reported that “DEFRA estimates that moving food is responsible for 25 per cent of all miles covered by heavy goods traffic in the UK. Transporting food within, to and around the UK produces 19 million tonnes of CO2 annually – equivalent to around 5.5 million typical cars.”

The length of the supply chains involved in industrial food systems result in a fragile structure as any slight disruption throughout the intricate process can halt the supply chain at any time.

However, this industrial food system is not the only one available to our economy. While our modern supermarkets heavily rely on large-scale agriculture, large scale production and precise, uninterrupted international food trade and fast turnaround times, the alternative slow food system focuses on a more resilient structure.

As the resilient alternative to this industrial cycle that many in the industry are championing, Slow Food is focused on returning to the traditional methods and celebrating all things local.

The not for profit grassroots organisation, Slow Food was set up in Italy in the late 1980s in a bid to promote traditional food preparation methods and locally sourced ingredients, going against the arrival of the American fast-food chain McDonald’s in Rome. The eco-gastronomic organisation now has around 100,000 members in over 150 countries.

Recognising and raising awareness of the negative impact the industrial food system had on society, the economy and the environment, the organisation ignited a Slow Food movement: a new way of conscious consumerism that takes seasonality, locality and tradition into account.

A slow, or resilient food system can take on many forms, starting with us as individuals making a conscious effort to engage with producers, venues and outlets that are aligned with the slow food values, to foraging, growing our own produce and going to local farmers’ markets.

Any involvement in the movement can make a significant difference in local communities and build a more sustainable, resilient and eco-friendly food system.

As the first accredited Slow Food destination in Northern Ireland, the Causeway Coast and Glens have been spearheading the move toward this resilient system and together with Taste Causeway, the collaborative network of local food and drink businesses.

From exciting slow food events to highlighting producers and awarding them with Slow Food accreditation, Taste Causeway and Slow Food NI are putting local suppliers and venues at the forefront of consumers’ minds, one business at a time.

To find out more about how you can support the Slow Food movement, the businesses involved and the upcoming events on the Causeway Coast, go to https://slowfood.tastecauseway.com/

Share This:

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

How many countries have members of Slow Food organization?

How many members does the Slow Food Movement have globally?

The movement emphasizes local food, traditional cuisine, and sustainable agriculture, encouraging support for local producers and outlets.

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

The slow food movement promotes community, culture, and sustainability, while respecting seasonality and minimizing environmental impact.

Title:

Content: Slow Food Uganda Triumphs at the National Agroecology Action week 2023

The Agroecology Week of Action, organized by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda, served as a platform for like-minded Civil Society Organizations, and individuals to come together and uphold the cause of agroecology. From the National Agroecology Actors Symposium, Agroecology Market Systems Expo, to the Indigenous Food and Seed Fair, the five-day event was a dynamic and comprehensive display of the power and potential of agroecology. The Slow Food Uganda’s invaluable participation in this week-long event aimed to raise awareness, foster knowledge exchange, and inspire action towards a more just, resilient and equitable sustainable food system. The Slow Food Uganda participation in the Agroecology Week of Action provided a critical opportunity for the selected Slow Food Communities to share experiences, showcase success stories, and discuss the challenges faced by small-scale farmers and other Agroecological Actors.

PELUM Uganda, an umbrella organization comprising over 60 civil society organizations, has long been organizing this annual event of the Agroecology Week of Action, which has become an inspiration for empowering the small-scale farmers, stakeholders, and communities in driving positive change towards a more resilient and sustainable future for food and agriculture through fostering a deep-rooted commitment to promoting agroecology as a transformative approach to farming. The outstanding activities organized have made this event a platform for knowledge exchange, capacity building, and advocacy for sustainable food systems.

Throughout the Agroecology Week of Action, participants were treated to a diverse range of activities, including panel discussions, exhibitions, and cooking demonstrations. Slow Food Uganda’s active involvement in these events brought forth their expertise in promoting traditional food cultures, fostering food sovereignty, and advocating for the preservation of local food biodiversity.

By bridging the gap between policy and practice, the Agroecology Week of Action aimed to influence decision-makers and stakeholders to prioritize agroecology as a viable solution to the challenges facing our food systems. Through engaging dialogues and thought-provoking presentations, this event provided a space for critical discussions on issues such as climate change, food sovereignty, and rural livelihoods. Slow Food Uganda’s participation further strengthened the credibility and impact of these discussions, drawing attention to the importance of preserving traditional knowledge and promoting sustainable farming practices.

Here is the highlight of Slow Food Uganda’s participation in all the events that happened during the Agroecology Week of Action:

National Agroecology Actors Symposium

Slow Food Uganda’s participation in the side event focused on “Consumer and Market Led Mechanisms for Scaling up Agroecology” during the National Agroecology Actors Symposium was instrumental in highlighting the crucial role of Earth Markets in promoting and expanding agroecological enterprises. During this side event, John Kiwagalo from Slow Food Uganda shared insights and experiences on how Earth Markets can contribute to scaling up agroecology entrepreneurship. He emphasized the importance of Earth Markets in raising awareness among consumers about the benefits of supporting agroecological practices for environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and improved nutrition.

Slow Food Uganda’s participation in this side event was key in sharing success stories and best practices from the Earth Markets network, highlighting how market-led approaches can attract farmers to adopt agroecological practices, leading to improved livelihoods and sustainable agricultural systems. The insights and recommendations shared by Slow Food Uganda during the side event served as a call to action for policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders to integrate consumer and market perspectives into their strategies for scaling up agroecology.

Agroecology Market Systems Expo

One of the highlights of the Agroecology Week of Action was the vibrant market expo, where agroecological entrepreneurs from across Uganda showcased their organic produce and traditional food products. This unique platform not only celebrated the richness and diversity of local agricultural practices but also provided a direct link between agroecological producers and consumers who value sustainable and diverse nutritious food. Through showcasing the Earth Market and the Slow Food Cooks Alliance model, Slow Food Uganda played a crucial role in emphasizing the significance of supporting local economies and short supply chains as well as promoting food that is good for people, the planet, and communities. Milly Namakula, a dedicated member of the Dembe Catering Cooks Alliance, skilfully prepared the renowned Nyasaland Arabica coffee sourced from the Nyasaland Coffee Presidium in Mbale district. This local processed coffee was proudly showcased and served alongside the delightful local sweet bananas sourced from the robust BOCOVACO Food Community in Buikwe district. The esteemed presence of Mr. Abitekaniza Johnson, the Assistant Commissioner of MSME Training and Business Skills Development at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives who represented the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, as the chief guest of the day, further raised the significance of the occasion. During his visit to the Slow Food Uganda stand, Mr. Abitekaniza Johnson had the opportunity to gain deep insights into the remarkable work carried out by Slow Food Presidia, Earth Markets, Cooks Alliance, and Food Communities. This provided the minister with a deeper understanding of how these initiatives actively foster agroecological markets, thereby enhancing the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. Over 100 visitors had an opportunity to taste the flavours of Uganda’s Nyasaland Arabica Coffee.

During the engaging panel discussion, John Kiwagalo delved into the pivotal role played by Earth Markets in fostering agroecological markets. Earth Markets, as highlighted by Kiwagalo, serve as platforms for fostering innovation and implementing initiatives that prioritize the principles of sustainability and biodiversity protection. Kiwagalo’s insights shed light on the significance of Earth Markets in creating connections between producers and consumers, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and promoting agroecological practices for a more resilient food system.

Indigenous Food and Seed Fair

Slow Food Uganda was part of over 100 exhibitors who participated in the Annual Indigenous Food and Seed Fair that happened for 2 days, showcasing their commitment to promoting cultural and biological diversity. The event provided an excellent platform for Slow Food Uganda to exhibit their diverse range of initiatives, including exciting displays of the Slow Food Garden, Earth Market stalls, and seed banks, as well as highlighting the important work of the Cooks Alliance.

Dr. Paul Mwambu the Commissioner for Crop Inspection and Certification who represented the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries as the chief guest at the Indigenous Food and Seed Fair visited the Slow Food Uganda stand which further amplified the significance of the participation. During his visit, Slow Food Uganda emphasized the crucial role of supporting small-scale farmers in certifying their innovative practices. They stressed the need for policies that not only recognize and value the contributions of agroecological farmers but also provide them with the necessary support and resources to effectively utilize their innovations.

During the event, an array of indigenous seeds was showcased by dedicated farmers representing various Slow Food Communities. This exhibition not only provided a platform for farmers to display their valuable seed diversity but also facilitated seed exchanges among participants from different organizations. The collaborative spirit of the event allowed for the sharing of traditional seeds, ensuring their continued cultivation and protection.

Moreover, visitors were treated to a delightful gastronomic experience as members of the Cooks Alliance skilfully prepared a range of local dishes, showcasing the incredible diversity and flavours of the Uganda’s cuisine. From traditional delicacies to innovative culinary creations, the Cooks Alliance demonstrated the richness and versatility of local foods. Additionally, guests had the privilege of enjoying the renowned Nyasaland coffee, sourced from the Nyasaland Presidium, which further highlighted the exceptional quality and taste of Uganda’s coffee heritage.

The exhibition of indigenous seeds, food, artisanal materials, domesticated animals, poultry, clean energy technologies and locally made agroecological inputs coupled with the tasty offerings from the Cooks Alliance and the Nyasaland coffee, provided a memorable experience for visitors, fostering a deep appreciation for the cultural and culinary heritage of Uganda. This vibrant celebration of local food traditions and agricultural biodiversity showcased the vital role played by Slow Food Communities in promoting sustainable practices and preserving the unique flavours and traditions of Uganda.

In his opening remarks during the Food Fair, Edward Mukiibi, the president of Slow Food International and Vice Chairperson of PELUM Uganda emphasized the importance of local farmers’ initiatives in enhancing the protection of local food biodiversity. “Women, youth, indigenous peoples and men who are small scale farmers are the custodians of our biodiversity. These are the true people who are nourishing and feeding this country and no one should take this away from us.” Edward said. He added that biodiversity and culture are linked together and biological and cultural diversity is the foundation of every country’s food system.

Best Exhibitors’ Awards

Slow Food Uganda gained a well-deserved recognition by winning the prestigious award as the Best Exhibitor at the Annual Food and Seed Fair. This achievement did not only highlight Slow Food Uganda’s solid commitment to promoting biodiversity and supporting small-scale farmers but also underscored their significant contributions to fostering a more sustainable and inclusive food culture. Slow Food Uganda’s recognition as the best exhibitor in the Annual Food and Seed Fair serves as evidence to their significant impact in promoting sustainable food systems. The exceptional display at the fair captured the spirit of their mission, captivating visitors with a vibrant and diverse range of exhibits. The organization’s booth stood out through its thorough curation, showcasing indigenous seeds, traditional food varieties, and innovative farming practices. The passion and dedication of Slow Food Uganda members were clearly evident, as they shared their wealth of knowledge and engaged visitors in meaningful conversations about the importance of preserving local food heritage.

John Kiwagalo, Slow Food Uganda

  • Did you learn something new from this page?
  • yesno

Title:

Content: 00: 00
Expo 2020 Dubai Today
Azerbaijan..
Sustainable and delicious food journeys at Expo 2020
Spending 12 hours preparing a dish is not unusual, but very satisfying, by Azerbaijani chef Orkhan Makhtarov.
The chef is used to prepare a dish that makes locally grown products without harming the environment.
Products of the highest quality and at a fair price to the producers, employing the local knowledge and experience accumulated over centuries to make the most of each ingredient.
Mukhtarov is part of Slough Food, an international network of chefs that works to protect biodiversity and supports local food producers.
One of the signature dishes is a hot smoked eel (marinated for 24 hours) with cream cheese and black olive powder, which will be on display this week at the Azerbaijan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Asked why he was interested in Slow Food after a busy career preparing international food in prestigious hotels, Mukhtarov said: “I can use interesting local ingredients that I have never tried before, such as seasonal ingredients and those that grow in forests.
This has got my attention because it helps small producers.
It helps them compete and promote their products. ”
With the help of Chef Apolvaz Habibov, Makhtarov established a menu under the name of "The Taste Ship", valuing the policy of slowly cooked food using good, clean and locally grown ingredients.
In March 2021, this duo established a project to strengthen the community value chain in the Greater Caucasus Mountains region, a community organization founded in 1989 to reduce the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, in partnership with the Azerbaijan Tourism Board.
The EU-funded project is being coordinated in collaboration with Slow Food.
The 15 dishes on the menu to be served in the Azerbaijani pavilion include ingredients such as Caucasian Mountain Chestnut and Rice thus, a soft milk cereal characteristic of the Shaki district.
The menu is exceptional in its presentation, just like its taste.
Makhtarov said: “I think all chefs who love their work are really artists.
You have to be an artist. ”
The executive director of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Florian Syngst Schmid, said the promotion of Azerbaijan ’ s food heritage is a natural fit for his country.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new model of travel, where people are now looking for safer and more environmentally friendly destinations, which is what Azerbaijan stands for, of course: “We are not inventing anything new, all we are doing is using already existing resources, physical and intangible assets in the country, and creating new tourism experiences and products for travelers. ”
Sakina Asgarova, director of industry associations at the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, said her country occupies a unique position on the international stage in gastronomy.
Asgarova spent three years working with local food producers and stakeholders in the Caucasus Mountains of northern Azerbaijan to help preserve the region ’ s food and cultural heritage.
Asgarova said: “The location of the Azerbaijan Pavilion in the sustainability zone was no accident.
Our focus was on clean food, that is, food that was produced without harming the environment and accessible at a fair price from producers. ”
Print Email

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

The movement has been promoted in countries like Italy, Austria, and Azerbaijan, using local ingredients and traditional cooking methods.

On returning to traditional food methods

The slow food movement has been adapted to local cultures, such as promoting millet farming in India and preserving traditional cuisine in Malaysia.

Title:

Content: The first International Slow Food Forum was held today at the Taitung County Government Auditorium. International Slow Food representatives from Italy, the Philippines, India and Malaysia brought experience from all over the world to promote slow food.
Wang Zhihui, deputy mayor of Taitung County, said that this year's Slow Food Festival "Morning Table" will be held in Taitung Forest Park on April 29 and 30.
The slow food movement, which has been popular around the world for more than 30 years, originated in Italy and has been promoted in Taitung for more than 10 years.
In the "Taitung Slow Food Festival" held every spring and autumn, the public and tourists pay more attention to the source of ingredients in their lives, practice environmental protection and plastic reduction, and tell new stories in the contemporary era with traditional ingredients.
On the eve of the first Slow Food Festival this year, the Taitung County government invited seven international Slow Food Movement advocates to exchange with local Slow Food practitioners. The theme of the forum was “From Festival to Everyday, From Tradition to Contemporary ”." Flowers? "and other issues, hoping to continue to move internationally and link the Austronesian culture.
The 2023 Taitung Slow Food International Forum begins at 9: 00 am on the 28th. Andrea Amato and Daniel Cruse, from the International Slow Food Headquarters in Italy, introduce the expansion of Slow Food from Italy to the world, and share the classic Ark of Taste and Slow Food. The Food Presidia Project.
In response to the International Year of Millet 2023, Indian representative Aruna Tirkey shared the experience of the local Slow Food Festival in India with Xiaomi Kitchen in Jharkhand, India.
In addition, Malaysia representative Nazlina Spice Station is a local cuisine, from Laksa to talk about the preservation of Penang ’ s food culture.
The ibu istanda takiscibanan, who represents the Bunun in Taitung, shares with the international community the journey of restoring millet to the Kandeng tribe in Haiduan Township, while Kuo Li-chin, CEO of Tinhetang, fully describes the experience and future vision of Slow Food in Taitung for ten years.
International speakers will participate in the Taitung Slow Food Festival “Morning Table ” held in Taitung Forest Park on the 29th and 30th, and demonstrate the traditional breakfast of Indian and Filipino aborigines on the 30th. The event is free of charge. Please refer to the full text of the forum download website (https: / / reurl.cc / pL0XvZ), and Taitung Slow Food Food Festival information (https: / / www.facebook.com / SlowFoodTaitung /).
# International Slow Food Forum # Taitung Slow Food Festival # Taitung County Government # Slow Food Festival

On returning to traditional food methods

The Taitung Slow Food Festival in Taiwan promotes traditional food culture and environmental protection.

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

Which county in Taiwan has hosted Slow Food Festival?

Taitung, Taiwan, a 5-star city for food education, offers the best slow food cuisine with a focus on organic farming and eco-friendly practices.

Title:

Content: Local Local Focus
Taitung ’ s Slow Economy Fermented Food Capacity Five-Star City
▲ Five Star City Taitung 4 consecutive bars.
(Photo by reporter Yang Han-sheng)
Journalist Yang Han-sheng / reporting from Taitung
The results of Taitung County ’ s food education promotion have been affirmed by most people and nutritionist groups. It has been ranked as a five-star city for four consecutive years. This year, it ranks second among 22 counties and cities, improving from last year, and has performed prominently in the three indicators of “Agriculture and Environment ”,“ Food Safety and Health ” and “Promotion Satisfaction ”, ranking second and third respectively. Performances.
Food magazine held an award ceremony on the 27th, and presented a five-star city award. Chiang Hui-ching, director of agriculture of Taitung County Government, went to receive it on behalf of the county government.
In the 2024 Urban Survey, the objective indicators include 72 indicators in four dimensions (agriculture and environment, education and culture, health and nutrition, food safety and hygiene). The survey, conducted by the President ’ s Alliance, the National Education Action Alliance, and the Foundation, asked citizens, parents, nutritionists and teachers in Taiwan about their satisfaction with the promotion of local ingredients, food culture, and health promotion in Taiwan.
Taitung County Governor Rao Qingling said that Taitung has actively attached importance to the education of “food ”, starting from the land where food grows. In recent years, Taitung has promoted organic agriculture and friendly farming area. And...
In recent years, the county government has launched the Taitung brand with "Taitung Slow Food Festival" and "Tribal Food Fashion", which has caused more people to pay attention to "food" as the core. Among them, Taitung Slow Food Festival has been held for many years. The public has developed a sense of slow food, paid more attention to the source of food materials in life, practiced environmental protection and plastic reduction, and changed the food culture in Taitung. The Taitung Slow Food Festival won the Best 100 and Gold Award of Japan ’ s Good Design Award.
At the same time, Taitung has been promoting the slow food movement for 10 years. Not only did it hold the “Slow Food International Forum ” for the first time last year, it invited international slow food representatives from Italy, the Philippines, India, Malaysia and other countries to gather in Taitung. In the name of the club, she personally led the team to Italy to participate in the Terra Madre (Slow Food Global Conference), showing the diversity of Taitung ’ s food culture and the fruitful results of years of slow food practice. In the future, it will continue to promote and link with the region.
Lin Yu-ting, deputy editor-in-chief of Foodpower magazine, pointed out that Taitung County not only ranked second and fourth in Taiwan in the two indicators of “Friendly Cultivated Cultivated Cropland Area ” and“ Organic Agricultural Cropland Area ” respectively. The county has a lot of characteristics of rural villages, providing a good quality of rural community tourism services.
Share with friends:
※ This article is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission. [ETtoday Copyright Notice]
Related News
Hot News
The best video
And more.
Hot News
Back to the top.

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

Which county in Taiwan has hosted Slow Food Festival?

To avoid cultural appropriation, engage with the borrowed culture, give proper credit and compensation, and amplify underrepresented voices.

Title:

Content: advertisement
advertisement

This is the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation

From Blackface minstrelsy to Elvis Presley and Miley Cyrus, Porter Braswell breaks down how to navigate when cultural appreciation crosses the line.

[Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage/Getty Images]

The phrase “cultural appropriation” appears in many forms and many contexts. And the debates surrounding it have swelled periodically, especially in the last 20 years. But what does it really mean, and when does it become truly problematic?

advertisement
advertisement

The type of cultural appropriation we need to be vigilant about is fairly simple. It occurs when members of a dominant culture – for example, white Americans or white Australians – take elements from the culture of an ethnicity or racial group they have typically oppressed – e.g. Indigenous peoples – and use them for themselves. That is, they appropriate a culture that is not their own. And it’s most problematic when that appropriation occurs for reasons of power or profit.

When cultural appropriation = profit

Let’s use one example of profit in an industry heavily associated with cultural appropriation: music and entertainment.

A few years ago, Nicki Minaj called Miley Cyrus out at the MTV Video Music Awards for appropriating elements of hip-hop culture without truly engaging with Black issues. She wrote on Twitter: “Come on you can’t want the good without the bad. If you want to enjoy our culture and our lifestyle, bond with us, dance with us, have fun with us, twerk with us, rap with us, then you should also want to know what affects us, what is bothering us, what we feel is unfair to us. You shouldn’t not want to know that.” –Nicki Minaj (2015)

advertisement
advertisement

These comments came at a time that Cryus was experimenting with elements of hip-hop culture in her music, videos, and overall public image. Miley was attempting to shed her public image as innocent Hannah Montana and recast herself as a fully grown woman – in part by consciously borrowing the musical and aesthetic languages of hip hop. And of course, she was not the first.

Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Britney Spears, Iggy Azalea – the list of white female musicians who have worked with hip-hop artists and producers or explicitly appropriated elements of Black culture runs long. The common thread is that for many of them, these experiments of appropriation allowed them to gain money and publicity by livening up their performances with elements from a culture that wasn’t authentically theirs. Music managers and executives have followed this pattern for years, using it to transform their artists and keep them relevant.

There are many reasons why they do it, but the bottom line is simple: white artists can use the language, sounds, and style of hip-hop and R&B, which are primarily Black art forms, to change their public perception in a way that’s often beneficial to their careers. This is a prime example of cultural appropriation in the service of profit and public image.
Professor Lauren Michele Jackson, who has written extensively about the white appropriation of Black culture, cites the late scholar bell hooks when she explains this phenomenon in her book White Negroes: “‘Ethnicity,’ in this case blackness by way of hip-hop culture, ‘becomes spice, seasoning that can liven up the dull dish that is mainstream white culture.'”

advertisement

The difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.

Nicki Minaj’s callout to Miley Cyrus underlines another important feature of cultural appropriation: its perpetrators often don’t engage with the cultures they’re taking from. And that’s what really helps us distinguish between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.

Many critics of cultural appropriation argue that it’s too difficult to distinguish between the two. Culture is such a broad concept, they argue. Cultural exchange is a good thing, they protest. And their arguments don’t fall on totally deaf ears – most people my age grew up with Multiculturalism – the celebration of cultural difference and ethnic diversity – as a mainstay of schools, community organizations and even family life.

But in this country, there’s a long history of appropriation and denigration that exists alongside the relatively recent Multiculturalist ethos.

advertisement

One of the earliest (and still most commonly discussed) instances of cultural appropriation is blackface, which is when white people impersonate Black people by darkening their skin with cosmetics.

The history of blackface actually begins with a man whose stage character was named “Jim Crow.” Thomas Dartmouth Rice (1808-1860) was a white actor from New York who became famous for his blackface minstrel shows, in which he caricatured the lives of slaves in skits and musical numbers, all while in blackface. These shows were of course primarily targeted toward white audiences.

Blackface minstrelsy, as it is now known, became an incredibly popular theatrical form in the U.S., reaching a peak between 1850-1870 – which includes the period in which enslaved people were first emancipated. This was an early example of white performers appropriating and exploiting the experiences of Black Americans for profit.

advertisement

Interestingly, after the Civil War, some Black Americans repurposed the minstrel show format and created traveling musical troupes of their own, offering some former slaves (and their descendants) a shot at economic freedom, celebrity, and the chance to travel the country.

These traveling shows also began attracting Black audiences, which meant they naturally included themes and art forms that were more geared toward our communities. Amongst these was a new form of soulful music that was born in the Mississippi Delta and had deep roots in Black spirituals: the Blues.

By the 1920s, America had its first record label stars and household names, several of whom were actually Black female Blues musicians. Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith became nationally recognized artists and even managed to acquire some real wealth thanks to the popularity of the Blues and the booming production of records.

advertisement

But eventually – not unlike the appropriation of hip-hop – white artists, managers, and record label owners realized they could market these new “race records” (which is what any Blues and Jazz record was called at the time) to a much larger white audience.

Historians like Amiri Baraka have argued the Folk and Rock music that took hold of the country in the 1950s and 60s – popularized by mega stars like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and even the Beatles – could not have existed without Blues music, a quintessentially Black American art form. Baraka thought the Blues were “the basic national voice of the African-American people,” and argued that white America had consistently appropriated Black musical styles since the 19th century, saying in Blues People: Negro Music in White America: “…after each new wave of Black innovation, i.e., New Orleans, big band, bebop, rhythm and blues, hard bop, new music, there was a commercial cooptation of the original music and an attempt to replace it with corporate dilution which mainly featured white players and was mainly intended for a white middle-class audience.”

Obviously it’s difficult to pin down who “owns” a musical style or who has the right to perform it. The commercial success of a musician depends on their ability to reach a large number of people, and some of those listeners are bound to be musicians, eager to learn, imitate, or evolve from what they hear – regardless of their ethnic or racial identity.

advertisement

However, when it comes to dollars and cents, we know that Black musicians like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith (as well as the many other Blues and Jazz innovators of the period) were never paid as much as their white counterparts. Nor did they receive any kind of meaningful acknowledgement by white artists for their role in this history. Elvis never had to acknowledge the dark history behind the Blues in order to profit from their appeal.

This form of cultural appropriation is deeply intertwined with systemic and institutionalized racism rooted in capitalism. In theory, art and other cultural products are created for the benefit of everyone. But in practice, they are also monetized for the benefit of the few. So we need to be aware of the dynamics of appropriation when we’re talking about who makes money and earns publicity off of what art.

In today’s world, globalization and digitization make it easier than ever to access different cultures and their artistic creations. That can be a beautiful thing. But it also makes it easier to appropriate them.

advertisement

The fashion industry has come under scrutiny in this respect, since they sit at the center of global trade in design, textiles, and artisanship. The Mexican government publicly condemned mega retailer Zara just last year for appropriating the native style of Indigenous craftspeople in the Oaxaca region. In response, Zara apologized and pulled a few garments from their website, but there’s nothing really stopping them from repeating this behavior.

Other designers have made a point of bringing Indigenous people into their process from the beginning. When the director of Brazilian sportswear brand, Osklen, visited the Asháninka tribe in South America, he didn’t just lift motifs and styles from their traditional crafts for his next season. He worked with the tribe to ensure they’d get a share of the profits, as well as publicity for their struggle to protect their land from industrial encroachment. It may not be a perfect exchange, but it’s more thoughtful and engaged than your average “inspired-by” collection.

Moving forward in a multicultural world

The globalized world we live in is the product of a centuries-old colonial conquest by Western, predominantly white superpowers. European and American imperialists handed down a racist heritage to us – and part of that is the systematic denigration of Indigenous cultures as inferior (and therefore conquerable).

advertisement

We have to acknowledge that appropriation of indigenous cultures without proper engagement, credit, or economic benefits tends to further the imperialist project in a culturally violent way. So when we talk about cultural appropriation and its pitfalls, we’re not really focused on your Italian espresso-maker or your Russian vodka. We’re looking out for instances of dominant cultures appropriating from historically oppressed or marginalized communities.

Because of our multicultural world, it’s inevitable that cultural appropriation, appreciation, and exchange will happen. On the whole, different cultures sharing with each other is a great thing. That said, there are some pretty basic guidelines to follow when it comes to cultural appreciation, especially if you’re a member of a dominant culture:

  1. Never use other countries or cultures that are not your own as jokes or costumes (e.g. wearing a sombrero at your Cinco de Mayo party)
  2. Don’t misrepresent traditional or sacred elements of a culture that have profound meaning for its members (e.g. wearing a Native American warrior headdress to a music festival)
  3. If you are engaging with another culture, make sure you are engaged with its members and see how you can use your platform to benefit their interests
  4. Don’t allow cultural appropriation to fuel profits without acknowledging the contributions and historical origins of a cultural product – and where possible, work to share those profits with the communities you’re engaging with

Cultural appropriation can be a big gray area, but it can also be pretty straightforward. If it feels like you have to ask the question or call something out, chances are it’s worth digging deeper into the situation. (One popular British chef even has a team of Cultural Appropriation experts to make sure he’s giving proper credit when creating recipes inspired by other cuisines.)

advertisement

If we are going to borrow or learn from cultures beyond our own, we have to make sure we engage with them on a deeper social and economic level. That means amplifying voices from underrepresented communities and giving them compensation or equity for their contributions. It also means going beyond the blame game to create space for deeper conversations about appropriation. Calling it out is only the beginning: we have to talk about how the dynamics of appropriation work and why they’re damaging.

Culture is vast. It encompasses so much of what makes humans great. Art, crafts, music, literature, dance, sport, language, food – all the greatest things in the world live under the giant umbrella of “Culture”. These things should be treasured and protected, and when they intersect with money and power – which they often do – we have to be vigilant about who gets to benefit from them.

This article was adapted and reprinted with permission from Diversity Explained.

advertisement
advertisement

About the author

Porter Braswell is the Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Jopwell, Founder of 2045 Studio, author of Let Them See You, and host of the podcast Race at Work. Subscribe to his weekly content pieces at Diversity Explained.

More

#FCFestival returns to NYC this September! Get your tickets today!

The slow food movement promotes local cultures, respects traditions, and models sustainable food practices worldwide.

Title:

Content: Traditional is the dish at seed and food fair

Small but important steps are being taken in Zimbabwe not only to encourage farmers to grow indigenous edible crops, but also to enjoy the delicious and healthy meals they can produce.

With a bit of flourish and in quick succession, Nkosilathi Ndlovu lifted the lids off several pots that were arranged on a table in front of him, inviting onlookers to try the variety of meals he had prepared with the help of his wife.

Among the dishes was the staple sadza, or isitshwala as it is known in isiNdebele, but it was made not from the usual white maize meal but using sorghum and pearl millet instead. Then there was traditional chicken but sans the common additives like cooking oil, exotic powdered soups or spices. The variety of indigenous vegetables drew remarks of “very delicious” from the guests who had accepted the sampling invitation.

Ndlovu is one of a dozen farmers in Kombo village, about 70km northwest of Zimbabwe’s second-biggest city, Bulawayo, who took part in the cooking segment of a seed and food fair that was held in May in the Insiza district of Matabeleland South province for the first time.

Ndlovu grew up in a family of mostly boys and so he got used to cooking at an early age. He proudly revealed that he is the one who prepares most meals in his home. “As I was growing up, my siblings and I would take turns to help our mother with the cooking and other chores. I also learnt quite a great deal from my grandmother, who would teach us how to cook various traditional meals. In my household we have such meals most of the time, and I’m usually the one who cooks most of them,” Ndlovu said.

His wife, Monica Dube, once had a stint as a chef’s assistant at a restaurant in the city that specialised in vegetarian dishes. She, too, learnt how to cook traditional dishes from her grandmother, but she described her husband as the “master chef in indigenous meals”.

Nearly 30 communal farmers who took part in the fair showed off their culinary skills in preparing local indigenous or traditional cuisine as well as various beverages, and also displayed the seeds of traditional food crops they grow, such as sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet (rapoko).

Breaking the maize cycle

The seed and food fair is the initiative of the Zimbabwe Project Trust, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focuses on sustainable farming and food security. The trust’s programmes officer, Violet Moyo, says while the objective of the fair is to urge communal farmers to grow crops that are native to the area, it also aims to raise awareness about the various foods derived from such crops.

“The aim of this event is to encourage farmers to grow traditional crops due to climate change. From research, we realise that maize is not suited for this area, but this notwithstanding, it has become the staple here and in most places across the country. This shouldn’t be the case, because we have got our own traditional crops like sorghum, finger millet, pearl millet, groundnuts and the like, which are more suitable to the local conditions. So, we are encouraging the farmers to grow these.”

Moyo says many communal farmers are impoverished and dependent on food aid as they are reluctant to grow small grains. These farmers have often been compelled to fork out money they hardly have in order to buy hybrid maize seed and fertilisers. Her organisation is seeking to break this cycle.

“Despite the encouragement to grow such crops by different actors, including the government and various NGOs, the uptake is still very low. Here in this ward in Insiza, you can count only a few farmers who are growing the small grains consistently. What we have noticed is that the farmers may not have sufficient information or knowledge about how to process the crops and the different kinds of foods that can be derived from these crops, and hence the decision to have this event,” Moyo said.

“People who were resettled here originated from different parts of the country, and they have traditional crops and foods that are peculiar to those areas. Bringing them together helps them to exchange notes or share experiences. All the other years we’ve been having seed fairs, but this is the first time that we are incorporating the food component to have a seed and food fair. The aim is to encourage the growing of traditional crops and their consumption in order to help enhance food security and avert hunger.”

Traditional or indigenous crops and the foods that are produced from them have been known to be beneficial in a number of ways to communal farmers. But over the years, the growing of these crops as well as the consumption of such foods have been dwindling owing to a variety of reasons, including attitude or perception and the temptation to grow so-called cash crops that may not always be suitable to particular areas.

The smart option

Martin Moyo, an agricultural scientist and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics’ country representative in Zimbabwe, says crops such as sorghum, millets and groundnuts are “smart foods”. The institute, which has its regional headquarters on the outskirts of Bulawayo, carries out research in dryland farming.

He acknowledges there are several barriers for farmers to overcome before they will embrace these crops, but says their growing and consumption must be promoted. “They have numerous health benefits and are also ecofriendly because they have a lower water footprint as they need less water to be produced, and they are also good for the soil as they extract less nutrients and also require less fertiliser than other crops.”

Food scientist and university lecturer Makhosi Mahlangu, who undertook a part of his studies in Italy, says Zimbabweans – and Africans across the continent – should take a leaf from Italians and the French, who are very proud of their world-famous food heritage.

Related article:

“It’s sad that many locals believe that eating Western food is some kind of a status symbol and hence you often see long queues at fast-food joints, people lining up to buy what is essentially junk food. The statistics may not be readily available, but we now have more locals suffering from non-communicable diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, which are often attributable to our eating habits. We only go back to eating our traditional foods after getting advice from the doctor, but this shouldn’t be the case,” Mahlangu said.

United States-based Zimbabwean physician Simbiso Ranga says the jury may still be out on the real health benefits of indigenous crops or foods, because not much research has been carried out in this regard. He does, however, believe traditional foods are healthier than processed foods.

“It is important for locals to revert to their traditional foods because they come as organic foods that are not genetically engineered. Therefore, the chances of diseases like cancer, which has been linked to some of the genetically engineered foods that are consumed in the Western world, become less,” said Ranga.

According to historian and cultural activist Phatisa Nyathi, politics and ideology play a role in food issues globally because there is a lot of money to be made – from the manufacturing of hybrid seed to the processing of food that ends up on the supermarket shelves.

“The agenda of global corporations making big profits will obviously include dissuading farmers and consumers from growing and eating what’s readily available on the land so that they can continue to make money. It’s a huge scam, and the sooner we realise that it is in our best interests to go back to our traditional foods the better,” Nyathi said.

It may be early days yet, but seed and food fairs like the one being championed by the Zimbabwe Project Trust may go some way in helping to reawaken farmers and the public to the many benefits of producing and consuming indigenous food crops.

If you want to republish this article please read our guidelines.

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

What are the supporters of slow food movement advocating?

On returning to traditional food methods

What is the purpose of Taiwan's Taitung County Government ito hold the "SLOW SUPER Taitung Slow Farmer Market"?

To promote sustainable agricultural development

The movement can promote cultural exchange and preserve traditional food cultures.

Title:

Content: Local Local Focus
Taitung Slow Food is highly recognized by international guests
▲ International Slow Food representatives from Italy, the Philippines, India and Malaysia were invited to participate in the Taitung Slow Food Festival organized by the Taitung County Government. (Photo by reporter Yang Han-sheng)
Journalist Yang Han-sheng / reporting from Taitung
International Slow Food representatives from Italy, the Philippines, India and Malaysia were invited to attend the Taitung Slow Food International Forum, Taitung Slow Food Festival and Food Culture Exchange Workshop organized by the Taitung County Government. Studying together.
The Taitung County Government said that the seven international slow food representatives invited this time are all advocates who have been working hard on slow food for many years, including two representatives from the International Slow Food Headquarters in Italy: Andrea Amato, head of developing countries in the Department of International Affairs, Daniel Cruse, commissioner of Asia; Ramon Uy Jr., who is the Southeast Asia regional advisor of the International Slow Food Organization, also the Philippines Negros Island Co-founders: Nazlina Binti Hussin from Malaysia, founder and CEO of Nazlina Spice Station; Aruna Tirkey, founder of Oraon Slow Food in Jharkhand, India; and Rowena Gonnay and Laren Gonnay from the Philippines, both founders of Pasil Slow Food in the Philippines.
During the 5 days of carefully arranged activities and itineraries, the international Slow Food representatives not only went to the Kandeng Tribe in Haiduan Township to learn about the history of Bunun people preserving traditional millet, but also experienced traditional icibi in the Dalumak Tribe in Peinan Township, and cooked aboriginal cuisine from the Philippines and India in the tribe ’ s outdoor kitchen, as well as Laksa, Malaysia ’ s most classic tradition. The food community partners to communicate and improve.
Aruna Tirkey, from India, was very surprised to see the successful restoration of the traditional crop of the Gaiana workshop in Kandeng tribe, which is also the traditional crop of her hometown. Denial, representative of the International Slow Food Headquarters, said that Taiwan was the first overseas country he visited after joining Slow Food, and what he saw and heard will always remain in his heart.
At the same time, we also participated in the 2023 Taitung Slow Food Festival - Morning Table, allowing international guests to fully experience the Taitung breakfast culture presented in 43 booths, and perform traditional dishes from their hometowns during the Slow Food Festival.
On the eve of his return to China, Governor Rao Qingling specially invited international guests to a gourmet dance celebration in the form of Pakelang, a harvest or work ending.
During the evening banquet, Andrea Amato, representative of the International Slow Food Headquarters, believes that the results of Taitung Slow Food ’ s promotion for many years have been quite fruitful, and the local slow food community and festivals belonging to Taitung have been developed. The Taitung experience.
While Ramon Uy Jr from the Philippines, who is committed to promoting Slow Food Travel, and Rowena Gonnay, founder of Pasil Slow Food Organization in the Philippines, Lamen Gonnay, during their stay in Taitung, strongly felt the resonance of the Austronesian ethnic culture in food and values, and said that the first time to Taiwan, I was a bit upset, but I saw millet, glutinous betel nut trees, Rice wine, these are very similar to home, feel like home!
Share with friends:
※ This article is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission. [ETtoday Copyright Notice]
Related News
Key words:
Hot News
The best video
And more.
Hot News
Back to the top.

On returning to traditional food methods

The slow food movement has led to rural tourism development, with 13 Taitung villages recognized for their services, promoting cultural exchange globally.

The movement promotes reconciliation with Indigenous communities by connecting people to local lands, resources, and economies through initiatives like school food programs.

Title:

Content:
Director / Editor: Victor Teboul, Ph.D.
Looking inside ourselves and out at the world
Independent and neutral with regard to all political and religious orientations, Tolerance.ca® aims to promote awareness of the major democratic principles on which tolerance is based.

4 school food program considerations based on insights from Newfoundland and Labrador

By Emily Doyle, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland
School food can connect people powerfully to their local lands, resources and economies, and be a tool towards reconciliation with Indigenous communities.

Read complete article

© The Conversation -

Follow us on ...