They are on their way. All under 40 years old, they are both the custodians of time-honored traditions and the drivers of change. They include Dali, a 27-year-old young woman from Mexico who produces chili peppers, and Anderson Ricardo, who is 33 and has always worked in the coffee business in Brazil.
Dali and Ricardo are two young South American representatives of the new generation of Earth Defenders.
They are two of the featured subjects in the 2016 Lavazza Calendar, produced in partnership with Slow Food, and contributors to “Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed the Planet,” the event that from October 3rd to 6th will bring more than two thousand young farmers to Milan, from 120 countries worldwide, as the guests of over 500 families in the Italian region of Lombardy: four days of festivities and debate on the issues of the environment, sustainability and the future of food.
Another young contributor to the project is the photographer chosen to capture the portraits of the new generation of Earth Defenders, 26 year old Canadian Joey L.
In this way, the 2016 Lavazza Calendar “From Father to Son”, produced under the creative direction of Armando Testa, represents the natural evolution of Steve McCurry’s African portraits (in the 2015 Lavazza Calendar) and explores, through the 13 photographs shot by Joey L., the rites and customs of the new generation of Earth Defenders in Central and South America.
They are young men and women portrayed with their “fathers,” who every day, drawing on lessons handed down from one generation to the next, defend biodiversity and their plants and crops without wasting resources, for the benefit of the local community.
Lavazza and Slow Food invite everyone to stand with them. One of the ways to do so is to purchase the 2016 Lavazza Calendar, on sale in a limited edition, or to contribute to the Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed the Planet project and to the development of the Slow Food Youth Network by visiting the Calendar2016.lavazza.com website.
The hashtag #EarthDefenders has also been created to support the young Earth Defenders on social networks.
“Innovating while respecting tradition. This is the recipe of thousands of young farmers in South America, Africa and the world over, who have accepted the baton passed on to them by their fathers and now hold the future of the earth in their hands.
As Lavazza, we are proud,” says the Company’s Corporate Image Director, Francesca Lavazza, “to be working side-by-side with Slow Food and these modern day heroes of the planet on a project which goes beyond photography, one that acts as sounding box, with the help of our Calendar, for a far-reaching social message.
It doesn’t matter whether they grow beans or harvest salt, chili peppers or coffee, the young Earth Defenders, as captured in the photographs by an equally young photographer, Joey L., teach us that we can feed the planet in a fair and sustainable way, without wasting resources, while encouraging the economic development of local communities at the same time.”
The Lavazza Calendar “From Father to Son” looks ahead to the initiative Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed the Planet and represents a practical way to support the Slow Food project.
“We have to get back to the soil, by picking up the hoe once more,” explains Slow Food President and Founder Carlo Petrini, “putting on fishing boots again, ploughing abandoned fields, rediscovering native breeds and local varieties. It is a return to the land that speaks of departure.
It is about looking back to find a new, creative and satisfying path. This is what we are taught today by the young Earth Defenders in South America, Africa and the rest of the world: preserving what we receive from the past in order to imagine a promise of quality tomorrow.
That is why it was almost a duty for us to rally them here in Milan during EXPO 2015. I am proud that 2,500 young farmers, herders, fishermen, chefs, students and activists from 120 countries worldwide have answered our call.
They will breathe life into Terra Madre Giovani – We Feed the Planet and pay back the hospitality of hundreds of families in the Italian region of Lombardy, by sharing their ideas and innovative solutions for feeding the planet as we move into the future.”
The photographer of the Earth Defenders is Joey L., a 26-year-old Canadian born artist who is as young as his eye is sharp and sensitive to details and body language.
The 13 photographs in “From Father to Son” portray the soul of these young people: Joey L. has captured both old and new generations as they work and learn, expressing their modernity and their desire for change, while always remaining true to tradition.
“My photographic voyage of discovery to South and Central America” said Joey L., “has shown me that the value of a place lies in the people who have worked there for generations. Having the opportunity to bear witness and pay tribute to these traditions and cultures with my photographs, and in this way contribute to a broader awareness of them, makes me extremely proud.
My hope is that every image manages to communicate, at least in part, the emotions and experiences of these contemporary heroes, these fathers and sons, whose faces and gestures tell the story of a distant past and the dream of a better future.”
“A young, modern and rightly informal look at the new generation of Earth Defenders: this is what we wanted for the 2016 Lavazza Calendar,” said Armando Testa Executive Creative Director Michele Mariani, “and it is what we think we’ve achieved in the photo report by Joey L., through his portraits of young people who work on the land and their fathers, from whom they assimilate the experience of work and learn to respect the environment.
From Father to Son also offers a way to explore and learn about important sustainability projects promoted by the Lavazza Foundation and Slow Food in Latin America.”
The 13 photographs in the Calendar “From Father to Son” are on show at EXPO 2015, in the Italian Pavilion (Cardo South West), until October 7.
FROM FATHER TO SON: THE FUTURE IS IN THE HANDS OF THE YOUNG EARTH DEFENDERS
Comment on social networks: #EarthDefenders @Lavazza @slow_food_italy @SFYNetwork
Calendar2016.lavazza.com
