Take some “maverick” farmers who practise regenerative farming, add some switched-on chefs and their customers, mix well with openminded artists, cultural practitioners and environmentalists, and you get SOILMATES. This is the recipe used to create this nonprofit initiative in Belgium.
“Starting from the assumption that fertile soil is the key to preserve all life, Soilmates’ goal is to create awareness by giving a visibility to the soil. Through artistic performances and culinary experiences they invite people to awaken their senses and to step into the unexpected world of the hidden half of nature.
SOILMATES are people willing to think holistically about the web of life. Their aim “is to create a paradigm shift in which the living earth becomes the center of the culinary and artistic experience, rather than the chef, the artist or the farmer. The soil becomes the subject.”
Healthy soil is the basis for healthy farming and for highly nutritious food full of rediscovered flavours and smells that allow us to enjoy again foods and products that are precious both to us and to future generations. The initiative, which was started by a number of well-known chefs, has expanded rapidly, gathering new members and supporters. This has led to the creation of food training days in different areas of Brussels.
The Days are dedicated “to the transmission, sharing of knowledge and reflection around the living soil.” It will not be a question of “boring” presentations of more or less scientific themes but of various talks, artistic performances and workshops on the life hidden in the soil. An 8-hour programme never seen before, creative, poetic and daring, dedicated to our relationship with the SOIL.
More info from Soilmates – Belgium: info@soilmates.be / https://soilmates.be/
Gruppo Suolo Europa 