Nice to see artisanal farmers getting the spotlight, even though the article itself is a bit on the "cute" side ("sacred cheese"? But this is the NYTimes after all, so good publicity...).
I didn't see any use of the word terroir - this is a term used mainly in the wine industry - but this is the central theme of the article : how the physical and social environments impact the quality of a food product. In this respect, it makes no difference whether you talk about a piece of cheese, a head of lettuce, olive oil, or a potato - there are many variables that give a foodstuff its uniqueness. Artisanal work is about appreciating and safeguarding these environmental conditions, whether they are the soils and natural vegetation, or the special knowledge involved in the production. Terroir is all this, and the term can be basically used for any type of food grown, or product sourced from that food. From the article : "This valley is full of suffering herbs" - I liked that, that's exactly the connection, and the meaning of "terroir".
One can encounter this respect for the uniqueness of a certain food or product all over Italy - and of course all over the world - wherever small producers take pride in maintaining a certain quality that reflects the special local conditions they work and produce in. We tasted cheese with a similar story - Robiola di Roccaverano - in the Alta Langhe area of Piemonte. Here, too, the wild pastures and special bacteria involved in the aging, give this cheese its uniqueness. This is the cheese we look for when in the region.
At the end of the article, the writer mentions threats on the horizon - climate change, competition - but I think that the number one threat was not mentioned : for quite some time, the economic system puts these small producers at a disadvantage. Which is unfortunate, because they are what making food is about. They should be in a position where it is as easy for them to make a profit as those that are making inferior/mass products, but in reality, for many of them it's harder.