Savory Institute’s Land to Market program, alongside Uruguay Savory Hub, Pampa Oriental, and art residency non-profit organization, CAMPO, collaborated in an exquisite opportunity to showcase art in its many manifestations – including meat from verified regenerating land – in Pueblo Garzon, Uruguay on December 28, 2021.
CAMPO’s annual benefit dinner, which caps off the first night of CAMPO Artfest, an artistic takeover of Pueblo Garzon – is a celebration of art, creativity, cultural exchange, and community. This year, a magical dinner under the stars, helmed by world-renowned guest chef, Mads Refslund, brought together foreign flavors, guests from around the world, over twenty international artists, musing over this year’s festival theme ON PROGRESS, and reflections on moving forward.
"CAMPO is about bringing international artists and chefs together to this unique village to connect with themselves and each other,” says CAMPO founder Heidi Lender, “and for cultural collaboration and exchange.”
This magical feast was just that: an acclaimed Danish chef joining forces with Uruguayan chefs and gauchos who manned the fire pit and cooked lambs sourced from verified regenerating land, all provided by the Uruguayan Hub of the Savory Institute to celebrate the Land to Market program.
Chef Mads Refslund displayed his “criollo” talent for guests in attendance as he cooked seven lambs from the farm Valle Sol, a 1500-acre ranch that serves as the learning site for Pampa Oriental. This site has been managed holistically for the past five years and has been monitored using Savory’s Ecological Outcome Verification protocol that verifies that land health is improving across a number of ecological health indicators.
“Our pastures have become resilient,” says ranch manager Magdalena Urioste. “The economic benefits of such management is proven; and the increase in the number of animals due to better, healthier, and more abundant pastures is the result of holistic planning and decision-making.”
EOV was set up at Valle Sol in 2020 to monitor soil health, biological diversity, and water infiltration. “Ours was the first farm set up with EOV, and one of the many that are being set up by Pampa Oriental around the country,” explains Magdalena, which she believes will help Uruguay measure the contributions of the country’s regenerative agriculture movement to its climate agenda.
"Uruguayan farmers are becoming more and more aware of the need to regenerate their soils and the Uruguayan government is starting to become aware of the potential of regenerative agriculture to help solve the extreme climate challenges we are faced with. It is also promising that farmers may receive better prices for export products that can be traced to its regenerative origins,” explains Magdalena.
Uruguay Hub leader Felipe Urioste has recently joined the Land to Market team leading its Latin America division, after serving at the Savory Institute for two years as the Latin America Hub Representative.
“Leading brands, processors, and restaurants in both the meat and fashion industries are looking at opportunities to enhance their sourcing strategies with climate beneficial products such as those raised on EOV verified farms,” says Felipe Urioste. “It is fascinating to watch this trend, and incredibly rewarding to be able to help in and from Uruguay. The CAMPO event was a wonderful and meaningful way to bring people closer to the work of Pampa Oriental and Land to Market.”
Stay up to date with Land to Market by visiting www.landtomarket.com and see more photos from this event on the Land to Market Facebook page and Instagram page.
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