Festival dell'Acqua, Staranzano

The Festival dell’Acqua di Staranzano invites the public to explore the many dimensions of water. From scientific and environmental discussions to artistic, educational, and cultural experiences. As part of the Festival diffuso della Sostenibilità, this event celebrates not only the essential role of water but also our broader relationship with nature and sustainability. This year, besides showcasing multiple samples of the Museum of Edible Earth, Dr. masharu also lead a workshop that introduced edible soils to the audience. 

According to ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) the rate at which soil is consumed in Italy would be around two square meters per second.

Soil consumption is the transformation of natural or agricultural soils into artificial surfaces, such as buildings, roads, parking lots or industrial areas. This process, often irreversible, results in the loss of basic ecological functions of soil: ability to absorb water, support biodiversity, regulate local climate and produce food. The consequences are serious: increased hydrogeological risk, loss of agricultural land, fragmentation of ecosystems, and increased exposure to the effects of climate change.

But what does it really mean to “consume” soil? What if we take it literally?

The Museum of Edible Earth wants to question our relationship with the soil on which we walk and which is essential for us to live. It invites us to reflect on the possibility of consuming earth, in the practical and food sense of the term. To consume food, to feed ourselves: a daily gesture that allows us to live, but now automatic, making us indifferent to the complex chain of food production. A complex chain, but composed of essential and simple elements, such as land and water.

The exhibition of the Museum of Edible Earth during the Festival dell’Acqua was curated by Francesco Scarel.

More info: Festival dell’acqua, Staranzano