The future of food led by indigenous people

From the Himalayas to the Pacific islands, Indigenous leaders are gathering at Terra Madre Asia & Pacific 2025 (Bacolod, Philippines from November 19 to 23) to show how ancestral food wisdom can guide the world toward more sustainable and just food systems.

Representing the Slow Food Indigenous Peoples Network (SFIPsN), these delegates - farmers, chefs, educators, and activists - are revitalizing traditional crops, protecting forests, and inspiring youth to reclaim pride in their culinary heritage. Supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), their initiatives show how values of reciprocity, biodiversity, and respect for the Earth are vital to the planet’s future.

Rural people are at the heart of IFAD’s mission. In Asia and the Pacific, their investments promote gender equality, strengthen food security, increase rural youth employment, and build climate resilience. Across the region, IFAD channels climate finance to small-scale farmers, helping them adapt to climate change by developing resilient infrastructure, introducing climate-smart agricultural tools, advancing nature-based solutions, and establishing early warning systems.

From India’s Jharkhand region, Aruna Tirkey and Anmol Ignatius Toppo are reintroducing Indigenous ingredients such as mahua and kudrum to modern consumers while empowering tribal farmers and women leaders. Both participated in the IFAD-supported SFIPsN Academy on Agroecology and Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, a regional training that is nurturing a new generation of food sovereignty champions.

In Indonesia, Plorentina Dessy, a young Dayak woman and IFAD seed-funding recipient, teaches Indigenous youth in West Kalimantan how ancestral food traditions sustain both culture and the forest. Gusti Ayu Komang Sri Mahayuni in Bali leads community gardens, seed exchanges, and farmers markets that anchor biodiversity in everyday life.

In the Philippines, Rowena Gonnay of the Kalinga Tribe - a member of the Unoy Rice Presidium and IFAD-supported leader - has helped establish over 13 Slow Food communities protecting heirloom climate resilient rice varieties from the brink of extinction. Young Indigenous leaders from the Philippines as Alicia Kate Bayangan, Daniel Jason Maches, and Jamar Garcia, demonstrate how youth can blend entrepreneurship, tradition, forest protection and climate awareness.

From the Himalayas, Pasang Sherpa of Nepal links food, culture, and climate education through the Slow Food Youth Network Nepal, inspiring students and farmers alike to see food as a tool for dignity and sustainability. In Thailand, Lee Ayu and Kittipan Korkaew are building fair Indigenous economies through coffee and agroecology, engaging hundreds of Akha farming families; brewing a silent revolution, one cup at the time.

Taiwan’s Indigenous leaders - coordinated by Kung Lien-Xu, Asia representative of the SFIPsN Advisory Board - exemplify regional collaboration. Since 2019, the Slow Food Hualien network has organized Indigenous Terra Madre events, founded several Slow Food Communities and an Indigenous Cooks Alliance, and hosted the IFAD-funded Slow Food Academy on Indigenous Peoples and Agroecological Food Systems. Their efforts unite educators, fisherfolks, navigators, youth, and chefs in reclaiming local traditions through food and knowledge.

“Our food carries the memory of our ancestors and the promise of a fairer future,” says Rowena Gonnay of the Philippines. “Protecting it means protecting who we are.”

Through these initiatives, the Slow Food Indigenous Peoples Network and IFAD are reaffirming that the answers to today’s global challenges may already exist - in the seeds, stories, and traditions of Indigenous peoples who have long known how to live in balance with nature.

 

 
About the Slow Food Indigenous Peoples Network
The Slow Food Indigenous Peoples Network connects Indigenous communities worldwide who are safeguarding traditional knowledge, biodiversity, and food sovereignty. By promoting “good, clean, and fair food for all,” the network ensures that Indigenous voices shape global food and climate dialogues. https://www.slowfood.com/thematic-network/indigenous-peoples-network/ 

About Terra Madre Asia & Pacific
Part of the global Slow Food movement, Terra Madre Asia & Pacific is a space where communities, ingredients, and ideas converge to shape the future of food. In Bacolod, it unites more than 2000 delegates from across the region to exchange knowledge and strengthen networks for a fairer, more resilient food system. TMAP 2025 is made possible through collaboration between 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), Meatless Monday, Plus63 Design Co., FEATR, and the Slow Food Community in Negros.
The event also introduces a distinct visual identity inspired by archipelagic landscapes and handcrafted clay forms, reflecting resilience, biodiversity, and cultural interconnectedness designed and created by illustrator Dan Matutina.