Earth Defenders. The shots of Steve McCurry for 2015 Lavazza Calendar

The 2015 Lavazza Calendar has been produced together with Slow Food, it features twelve breathtaking pictures by renowned US photographer, Steve McCurry, and creative direction by Armando Testa - is a photographic journey through the stories of everyday heroism of the Earth Defenders: women and men who every day defend their land and their projects in Africa with courage and devotion.

Steve McCurry

This series take a stand beside all the Earth Defenders and food traditions: they are symbols of hope for local communities and spokespeople of the potential for development and a better future. The picture capture the spirit, strength and humanity of women and men who protect their land and projects in Africa with passion and bravery.

From Nadia, the proud argan oil paladine in Morocco, to John, the guardian of Lare pumpkins in Kenya; and from Anna, who fights for the quality of salted millet couscous on Fadiouth Island in Senegal, to Asnakech, who stands guard over coffee estates in Ethiopia. 

In this way Lavazza and Slow Food take a stand beside all the Earth Defenders and food traditions: they are symbols of hope for local communities and spokespeople of the potential for development and a better future.

Earth Defenders - The Journey

“I am proud. It has been an incredible journey: I have learned a lot and met some extraordinary people who I now think of as my friends. We wanted to portray the devotion of these people to defending their own food communities. It would be a shame to allow these unique traditions to disappear. The idea of protecting them is the inspiration behind this calendar dedicated to the Earth Defenders and to the African continent as a whole”

— Steve McCurry

Earth Defenders. The shots of Steve McCurry for 2015 #Lavazza Calendar http://t.co/RgULebvpiO #photography #portraits pic.twitter.com/9oucbE7MAk

— Photography Office (@photoffice) December 16, 2014

In 1993, Lavazza began collaborating with top tier photographers – such as Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, David LaChapelle and Ellen von Unwerth, to name a few – to produce a series of visually stunning calendars that have quickly become sought-after collector items. For the first time in its history, the Lavazza calendar will be on sale in limited quantity to support the “10,000 food gardens in Africa” project.

Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than thirty years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name.McCurry has been recognized with some of the most prestigious awards in the industry, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal, National Press Photographers Award, and an unprecedented four first prize awards from the World Press Photo contest.

Dreaming of a Better Africa' - Edward Mukiibi, Slow Food International Vice President and tropical agronomist, he is the proud defender of sustainable agriculture and biodiversity

‘Argan Oil Paladine’ - Nadia Fatmi, president of the Tighanimine women’s cooperative (a Slow Food Presidium), she is the guardian of the argan tree, which is similar to the olive but grows only on the southern coast of Morocco.

‘Seed Saver’ - John Kariuki Mwangi, Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity Vice President and the coordinator of all operations in Kenya, he is 27 years old and stands guard over the pumpkins of Lare, which have been thriving in the area for centuries despite the highly irregular rainfall

‘The Sentinel Guarding the Plantations’ - Asnakech Thomas, a coffee grower in Ethiopia, the homeland of coffee, she is a determined and passionate guardian of the Ethiopian Arabica coffee she calls “green gold” and regards as the “backbone” of her country

‘Soul Ingredients’ - Mayé Ndour, a chef and restaurant owner in Senegal, is a champion of cereals and local product

‘The Salt of the Presidium’ - Andrew Wanyonyi Sikanga, a salt producer in Nabuyole, western Kenya, produces salt from an aquatic plant

‘Our Roots’ - Ethiopian women from the Kafa region defend and preserve the coffee which symbolises the richness of this land

‘Saffron and Freedom’ - Mhamd Id Taleb, President of the saffron agricultural cooperative and Slow Food Presidium in Taliouine, a village in the south east of Morocco, the freedom of his lifestyle derives from the cultivation of saffron

‘The Chieftain’ - Roba Bulga Jilo, an Ethiopian food activist, he is a member of the Karrayyu tribe of nomadic herders, with whom he has established a Slow Food Presidium to safeguard camel milk, a product with a symbolic value in Ethiopia

‘Women of Fadiouth’ - Anna Ndiaye (President of the Gie Mbel Saac Federation on Fadiouth Island in Senegal) fights to defend the quality of salted millet couscous

‘Kirua calls Tierra’ - Father Peter Kilasara, a Tanzanian missionary in the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, he has worked in various countries and is at present the determined leader of the Kirua Children Association in Tanzania. He is surrounded by an expanse of coffee beans drying in the sun, as a defender and protector of his tradition in Tanzania

‘Future in Our Hands’ - children in Father Peter’s School in Tanzania who symbolise the Earth Defenders of the future, throwing colourful coffee seeds into the air demonstrates that the future really does lie in our own hands

Bonus: Steve McCurry on the journey over the destination

Renowned photographer Steve McCurry shares one of the big things he has learned over the course of his career: don't focus so much on your goal and destination that you miss out on something beautiful along the way.

Credits: Steve McCurry/Lavazza