FOOD DISTRICTS: A THREE-DAY DISCUSSION IN NAPLES ON THE FUTURE OF ITALIAN FOOD AND AGRI-FOOD

The Italian Food Districts will meet in Naples from June 11th to 13th, as part of the Mediterranean Diet Fair, for three days of institutional discussion, planning, and the promotion of the regions that represent Italy's quality production, sustainability, and local communities. Over forty speakers from national and European institutions, research, agricultural organizations, and local communities will animate the work of the National Consultation of Food Districts , transforming Naples into Italy's leading forum for discussion on food and rural development policies.

The National Council of Food Districts , which will also have a dedicated Corner in an area dedicated specifically to Italian Food Districts, is organizing the National Assembly and a series of public meetings that will see the participation of representatives of institutions, the world of research, agricultural organizations, and local communities committed to building a new model of agri-food development.

An event of particular national importance, featuring speeches by four key figures in Italian agricultural policy over the past few decades : Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, Maurizio Martina, Stefano Patuanelli, and the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida.

An institutional panel representing a consistent vision of the strategic value of rural areas and local agri-food systems. In particular, the presence of Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio takes on a special symbolic significance: as Minister of Agricultural Policies, he was among the first promoters of a policy based on the valorization of local areas, local supply chains, and agri-food identities, anticipating many of the principles that today find full expression in the Food Districts model.

" Bringing the National Assembly of Food Districts to Naples, at the heart of the Mediterranean Diet Exhibition, means strengthening a network that unites regions, businesses, institutions, and communities around a shared vision of sustainable development ," says Angelo Barone , President of the National Council of Food Districts. " The speeches by four Ministers of Agriculture, from different political eras, demonstrate how the Districts today represent a shared heritage of the country and a fundamental tool for the future of the Italian agri-food sector ."

The work will begin on Thursday, June 11th at 4:00 pm in the Urania Area – Room 1 with the first session of the National Assembly of the Food Districts Consultation.

After the opening of the Hall and exhibition spaces at 3:00 PM and the welcome reception for participants at 3:30 PM, President Angelo Barone will present an introductory speech on the status and prospects of the national network of Districts. This will be followed by a speech by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Luigi D'Eramo.

Thematic working groups will take place from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m., and at 5:30 p.m., Giuseppe Maroni will present the Bergamo Food Districts Hub - GNAM project. The Assembly will then address the statutory changes and the renewal of the governing bodies of the Consulta.

On this occasion, the collaboration with CREA Research-Policies and Bioeconomy is consolidated, which is organizing a major focus on food districts coordinated by researcher Lucia Briamonte.

The central event of the entire event is scheduled for Friday, June 12th at 3:00 PM in the Calipso Hall. Following greetings from the Campania Region's Agriculture Councilor, Maria Carmela Serluca , and the Director of CREA Research, Policies and Bioeconomy , Alessio Tola , the roundtable discussion " Food Districts: A New Development Model for Italian Agri-Food " will take place from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. The discussion will focus on the sector's prospects and the contribution Districts can make to the challenges of competitiveness, sustainability, and food security.

The discussion will include Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio , Maurizio Martina , currently Deputy Director General of the FAO, Stefano Patuanelli , and the Minister of Agriculture , Francesco Lollobrigida . Also participating in the debate will be Maria Chiara Gadda , vice president of the Agriculture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Cristina Chirico , national coordinator of the CIA Women in the Fields initiative, Ettore Bellelli , president of Coldiretti Campania, Paolo Mele of the Executive Board of Confagricoltura, and Giovanni Bernardini , national vice president of Copagri. The roundtable will be moderated by Professor Teresa Del Giudice of the Federico II University of Naples. The final session of the Assembly will follow, with the presentation of the working groups' final reports and the definition of the Consulta's operational guidelines for the next three years.

Saturday, June 13th, will be dedicated to the relationship between Food Districts, the Mediterranean Diet, and the promotion of local communities . At 3:30 pm, in the Urania Area – Room 1, a meeting will be held on the Districts' commitment to the Mediterranean Diet Community Network. Participants include Sara Roversi of the Food Future Institute, Stefano Pisani of the Emblematic Community of Pollica, Emilio Ferrara of the Edamus Foundation, and Angelo Barone , President of the National Council of Food Districts.

Starting at 4:30 pm, the focus will be on local best practices and successful models for promoting agri-food excellence nationally and internationally. Speakers will include Antonino Carlino of the COSVAP Fisheries and Blue Growth District, who will present the project "Cluster in Sicily for the USA," and Diana Cataldo Geo and Davide Della Porta of the Campania Chestnut and Marron District, leading figures in the project "Eat Healthy, Live Better, Choose Chestnuts."

The three-day event will conclude at 6:00 PM with the presentation of the book "Eat Italian, but Eat It Well," featuring Angelo Barone, Augusto Orsini of the Technoscience Latina Science Park, Patrizia C. Lusi of the "Dott. Vincenzo Zaccagnino" ASP, Michele Pistillo of the Technoscience Latina Science Park, and chef Francesco Antonio Di Mauro, an ambassador of Mediterranean cuisine and quality Italian products.

The initiative certainly confirms the growth of the National Council of Food Districts, which in recent years has consolidated its role as a point of reference for local entities committed to promoting rural development, sustainability, landscape protection, and the quality of agri-food production.

For three days, Naples will become the Italian capital of Food Districts, a national laboratory where institutions, businesses, research, and local communities will discuss the future of agriculture, sustainability, quality production, and the Mediterranean Diet, Italy's cultural, economic, and social heritage.