BACOLOD, PHILIPPINES — November 19–22, 2025
Terra Madre Asia & Pacific opens today in Bacolod, Philippines. It brings together more than 2,000 farmers, Indigenous knowledge keepers, chefs, youth leaders, and food advocates from across the region. As climate shocks intensify, biodiversity losses accelerate, and food insecurity grows, the gathering urges a renewed commitment to food systems rooted in culture, community, and ecological care.
Terra Madre Asia & Pacific is a platform where communities come together to celebrate identity, share knowledge, and collaborate on sustainable food solutions,” said Edward Mukiibi, President of Slow Food. “At a time of climate emergencies, it reminds us that nourishing the planet begins with nourishing local ecosystems
Sharing Regional Learning With the Rest of the World
Terra Madre Asia & Pacific serves as a global learning space. Here, communities share solutions shaped by some of Asia and the Pacific’s most climate-exposed regions. Delegates bring knowledge honed over generations—practices that strengthen ecosystems, preserve heritage, and help communities adapt to rapid change.
Their work shows how resilience looks in everyday life:
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Abdul Shakoor Ehrari (Afghanistan) safeguards nomadic foodways and native livestock adapted to harsh landscapes.
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Gusti Ayu Komang Sri Mahayuni (Indonesia) advances women-led seed-saving and agroecology for climate-resilient communities.
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Pasang Sherpa (Nepal) mobilizes youth through climate storytelling and community action.
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Rowena Gonnay (Philippines) revives Indigenous Cordillera crops as acts of cultural sovereignty and survival.
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Lee Ayu (Thailand) supports ethical, Indigenous-led coffee enterprises that protect forests and sustain families.
Program Highlights
Over four days, Terra Madre Asia & Pacific presents conferences, tastings, sensory labs, and hands-on workshops. Together, these activities explore how traditional knowledge and innovation can work side by side.
Transforming Agriculture for a Sustainable Future
This session, led by Edward Mukiibi and Dr. Charito P. Medina, calls for a shift toward ecological, biodiversity-centered agriculture.
Slow Food Travel: Journeys That Sustain Communities
Paolo Di Croce, Alessandra Turco, and Philippine tourism leaders discuss how travel can support local economies and protect culture.
Food, Farming, and the Climate Crisis
Farmers, youth leaders, and experts share insights on how biodiversity-based food systems can strengthen climate resilience.
These stories span mountains, forests, islands, and river valleys—places where food is inseparable from identity, memory, and survival. Thus, in Bacolod, these lived experiences become shared knowledge. They offer practical models for building a fairer and more ecological global food future.
Food and Your Health
A panel featuring Namrata Bali and Bibong Widyarti examines the link between diet, ecology, and well-being.
Meanwhile, educational programs invite participants to learn through experience. Activities include spice storytelling, tofu-making with Japanese artisans, and ancestral bamboo cooking. Tastings and show-cooking sessions highlight regional biodiversity, from Vanuatu’s taro dishes to Korean ferments and Afghan street fritters.
Slow Food Coffee Coalition & Slow Drinks
The Slow Food Coffee Coalition Area showcases sustainable journeys “from soil to cup.” It features forest-grown coffee from India’s Nilgiris, youth-led cooperatives from Timor-Leste, and cascara upcycling innovations from Indonesia.
At the same time, the Slow Drinks program brings together tea masters, mixologists, and heritage drink makers. Throughout the event, guests can join tea rituals, island-spirit tastings, and evening bar takeovers.
A Timely Gathering for the Visayas
Terra Madre Asia & Pacific opens as the Visayas continues to recover from Typhoon Tino, which hit the region just over a week ago. Negros Island recorded more than 80 deaths, and thousands of homes were damaged by flash floods and landslides. Across the Visayas, farms were destroyed, rivers overflowed, and coastal communities endured days without clean water or electricity.
Because of this, the storm’s impact underscores the urgency of Terra Madre’s mission. Typhoon Tino reveals the vulnerabilities faced by food-producing communities. It also highlights the critical role of ecological care, seed diversity, and community resilience in a warming world.
About Terra Madre Asia & Pacific
Part of the global Slow Food movement, Terra Madre Asia & Pacific brings together more than 2,000 delegates to exchange knowledge, strengthen networks, and build food systems that are good, clean, and fair for all. It is a space where communities, ingredients, and ideas converge to shape the future of food.
TMAP 2025 is made possible through the collaboration of Slow Food, the City Government of Bacolod led by Mayor Greg Gasataya, the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental led by Governor Eugenio Lacson, the Department of Tourism led by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, the Department of Agriculture led by Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the Department of Trade and Industry led by Secretary Cristina Roque, TESDA Director General Kiko Benitez, Congressman Albee Benitez, Congressman Javi Benitez, and Senator Loren Legarda. Partners include the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Plus63 Design Co., FEATR, and the Slow Food Community in Negros.
The event carries a visual identity designed by Dan Matutina, inspired by archipelagic landscapes and handcrafted clay forms that reflect resilience, biodiversity, and cultural interconnectedness.
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