How can cities and territories work together to build stronger, more resilient and sustainable local food systems? This is one of the questions at the heart of CIHEAM Bari’s participation in Terra Madre 2026, taking place in Turin from 24 to 27 September, within the “Feeding the World’s Cities” space.
For four days, Terra Madre provides a space for dialogue among experiences, territories and communities, connecting food with local policies, cooperation and the ability of territories to develop shared responses to food security challenges.
In this context, CIHEAM Bari brings experiences gained through international cooperation and its work on local food policies, with a particular focus on the role of cities and local authorities.
The programme begins on 24 September with a conference focusing on strengthening cities’ capacities to promote the right to food. CIHEAM Bari will present the experience and lessons learned from the training programme on local food policies implemented together with the University of Turin, within the framework of the international cooperation project RACINES, involving eight Senegalese local government representatives and two facilitators.
The programme focused on strengthening the capacity of local authorities to understand their territories, connect local stakeholders and develop food policies that respond to the needs of communities.
On 26 September, the discussion will expand to the Mediterranean. In collaboration with the City of Turin, cities and territories involved in international and territorial cooperation initiatives – including Bethlehem, Jericho, Beit Jala, Khouribga, Mersin and Durres – will share experiences and tools to strengthen dialogue on local food policies.
The event will also provide an opportunity to present the Mediterranean Platform for sharing practices, data and tools to support the development of local food systems. The platform will be developed within the framework of the Interreg NEXT MED FoodGaPproject.
Also on 26 September, the conference “Creating Value in Local Food Systems: the Italian Model towards the 2027 Food Systems Summit” will bring together experiences from Italy and Africa, contributing to the development of a position paper in preparation for the 2027 Food Systems Summit 6+2.
At the heart of these different experiences is a shared understanding: food security is not only about food availability or production capacity, but also about a territory’s ability to generate value by connecting people, resources, knowledge and institutions.
Building these connections is at the core of CIHEAM Bari’s work: bringing territories and expertise together, sharing knowledge and practices, and creating opportunities for new forms of cooperation across the Mediterranean and Africa.
At Terra Madre, the exchange between different experiences represents another step towards understanding local food systems not as isolated realities, but as spaces where cooperation, knowledge and governance can contribute to building more resilient territories capable of addressing the challenges of the future together.
