PROMOTION
Above: Sonya Sammut, Malta’s Ambassador for Organic and Sustainable Food, at the Launch of Malta’s Organic Action Plan. Photo DOI / Jason Borg.
THE MATRIARCH’S LESSON
The Shape of Sustainable Food Four Years Later: Rethinking Organic Farming in Malta A few years ago, I came across a fascinating fact about elephant herds: when drought strikes and water becomes scarce, the survival of the herd often depends on the oldest female – the matriarch. Scientists observed that herds led by older females had a better chance of surviving because the matriarch remembered which routes led to water, which paths led to safety, and which led nowhere but dryness and wasted energy. I remember thinking how extraordinary that was – that survival could depend so much on memory, experience, and judgment accumulated over time, writes Sonya Sammut, Malta’s Ambassador for Organic and Sustainable Food.
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our years into my role as Malta’s Ambassador for Organic and Sustainable Food, I often reflect on that story. Not because leadership means having all the answers – quite the opposite. The more responsibilities I carry, the more I realise that leadership is about learning, listening, adapting, and sometimes having the courage to change direction without losing sight of the long-term vision. When I accepted this role, I did so with genuine conviction and enthusiasm. I 62
believed – and still believe – that Malta must continue moving towards more sustainable food systems. We needed to have more serious conversations about the way we grow food, the way we consume it, and the longterm impact this has on our health, our environment, and our resilience as a country. At the time, Malta’s organic sector covered roughly 0.6% of agricultural land. The target of reaching 5% by 2030 was ambitious, perhaps even uncomfortable for some. But ambition has value. Sometimes targets are necessary simply because they start conversations that would otherwise never happen.
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nd conversations did happen. Over these past years, I have met farmers, producers, retailers, educators, policymakers, consumers, and families. I have listened to enthusiasm, curiosity, criticism, frustration, and scepticism. I have often heard the same argument repeated: “Organic farming in Malta is impossible.” And honestly, I understand where that sentiment comes from. Malta’s agricultural reality is unlike that of larger European countries. Our farms are small and fragmented. Many of our systems are intensive by necessity. Farmers face rising costs, labour shortages, water challenges, climate