What NEED does this meet?
Food security is rapidly becoming a hot button issue in the era of declining oil and rising food production costs. When I look back on the history of how people have fed themselves over time, I am reminded of the bounty of uncultivated nature and how peoples in times before simply took what they needed. Namely, I’m speaking about hunting and gathering- and even more specifically, gathering.
Wouldn’t it be great to get free food as our ancestors did (which starts, of course, by knowing where it is)? Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could regain the knowledge and skill-sets of those early gatherers? And isn’t nature wonderful in the way it presents us with exactly what we need to survive, if only we’ll take the time to see it?
What is the APPROACH?
What I’m envisioning is a google maps mash-up website with a Wikipedia flavor that allows people to search or post the location of a locally producing plant, bush, tree, etc. where folks can go to freely gather nuts, berries, leaves, etc. for either nutritional or medicinal uses.
Perhaps you know of the location of a wild walnut tree. You go www.thegatherers.com and upload the location. Someone else who live in your area can then go online and see the location of the exact same walnut tree. Maybe there’s even extra information that others have posted: a great recipe for walnut bread, or how to make walnut dye, or the life cycle of a walnut tree and best times to pick up walnuts, etc. etc.
What are the BENEFITS to people?
Wouldn’t it be great to get free food (which starts of course by knowing where it is)? Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could regain the knowledge and skill-sets of those early gatherers? And isn’t nature wonderful in the way it presents us with exactly what we need to survive, if only we’ll take the time to see it?
Strong commnunities are always connected with the threads of food. Sourcing local, natural bounty provided gratis by nature is a great opportunity to share knowledge through the generations and create community.
What is the COMPETITION?
There would, of course, inevitably have to be the conversation about public vs. private property.
And also it may face some challenges in getting participation.
However, both of these tenets are things that can be overcome with good coversation; a possibility provided by the internet
What BUDGETS & LOGISTICS are required?
I have no idea what a mash-up like this would cost, or what it’s maintenance would be.
I do however, imagine that there is a huge potential for grantmaking and fundraising here. It not only taps into community categories, but also reaches into food, agriculture, cross-cultural, and environmental issues.
RSS feed
April 6th, 2006 at 10:37pm
We no longer hunt/gather because, quite simply, there are too many of us. I would be afraid that such a website, if successful, wouldn’t encourage “gathering” as much as it would encourage locust-style swarming: post the location of a particularly fruitful tree and within 24 it will have been stripped.
In short, it would achieve the very opposite of the sort of sustainable lifestyle it was hoping to promote, surely?
April 7th, 2006 at 5:13am
James,
While I appreciate your feedback, I’m afraid that I disagree with the fundamental tenets/assumptions of your argument.
Here’s why:
1) How many people utilizing the website and then gathering in the real world would depend on where the tree, bush, plant is.
2) When a tree, bush, plant, etc. runs out, it runs out and the gahering would cease on said tree/bush/plant. Other gatherers (even those few tribal peoples left who continue this tradition)would have faced a similar problem, and I imagine they would react the same way we would- to walk away.
3)Plants and nature by their very virtue are both seasonal and regenerative. So even in places of very high traffic, it will grow back.
4)If a particular site is proving continually troublesome, perhaps we can build some controls into the design. (i.e.- removing a tree/plant/bush that has been cut down, or died last winter)
However, I do see the caution inherent in your post: being respectful of the bounty of nature as opposed to “locust-like”. In that case, wouldn’t the website be a great place to share information about how to properly gather those particular nuts, or that type of berry? And also, as a community website, this may be an opportunity to explore positive ways of resolving a conflict occuring in the real world, but echoing online.
In short, I feel that I have faith in our ability to handle it, and I still think The Gatherers website is a fantastic idea worthy of being fulfilled.
April 7th, 2006 at 6:29pm
I think this is a great idea. We have become so overly disconnected with the resources nature provides that currently many of us completely overlook any usefulness of these resources. I work in urban forestry in the US, and people see fruiting trees as undesirable waste, in response we are forced to plant mostly fruitless male cultivars. A site like this could transform that undesirable waste into a valuable resources, by transforming how people view nature. If we are going to truly change things we must start building the community and infrastructure for utilizing these natural resources. It makes me cringe when I have to send tree after tree of high quality woods to landfills because their is currently no way for local small scale wood industries to compete in a globalized market place of industrial corporations. This model will not last forever, will your community have the resources, knowledge, and infrastructure ready to utilize your native natural resources? Look at how Havana, Cuba transitioned their agricultural and value system after the embargo.
As far as to the point that people would over harvest. Educating for propagation would definitely have be an integral component. It is interesting your fear that the site would become popular enough where the supply exceed the demand brings up a wonderful scenario. Scarcity and demand would increase value allowing people to propagate new areas and have better stewardship of existing resources. This is the joy of working in the economy of renewable resources, and perhaps the goal of the project. Not to mention that many invasive species are delicious wild edibles and if people over harvested you would be killing two birds with one stone.
Kristy I would suggest starting this yourself may not be a hard as you think. Druple an open source web design program allows your to create a community edited web site with an editable google map function (http://www.webgeer.com/gmapdemo) . Find a good open source web designer and start small (make a map for your town or city).
Good luck
nathan
April 8th, 2006 at 9:34am
You may also find the Ning Social Apps at http://www.ning.com/?view=xapps&xappSection=travels useful as well as a base for building a system like this.
Ning has a selection of applications that you can ‘clone’ and adapt with little need for technical knowledge – one of which is a restaurant mapping application…
April 8th, 2006 at 7:34pm
Kristy I really love this idea. I think James concern of swarming and stripping is fair, but it seems to me that part of this web platform is active engagement in real space, by members to plant and post spots to gather food. This project need not be limited to traditional notions of “Nature” and wilderness. There are amazing apple trees growing in an alleyway near my house, that I have eaten off of before.
Community and civic organizations could use native species of plants which are easily harvestable in public planting decisions. Imagine going to the library for a book and an apple on your way out.
Their are probably fairly draconian laws on gleaning and zoning laws that allow you to put in edible plants in the US, but I wonder how this might play in France, or other countries with richer histories of gleaning.
I see this website as being both about gathering and posting information, but also about enacting change in what type and how many plants get used in public and semi-public places. It will probably not provide sustinence for very many people, but could help to get people thinking about land-use issues, food cultures, and maybe just enjoy their walking-commute to work more.
Also, if you want I have started a website http://www.bluepuddle.org that may allow you to get started on this yourself right away. Contact bluepuddle@umich.edu with the city you want to start this in, and we can set up the map for you.
However, I think this could be a very worthwhile large scale project if there was a plan for how people in meatspace could help plant and maintain public access to harvestable plants.
April 9th, 2006 at 12:42am
Does anyone have any information regarding how this gathering might effect the local ecosystem (other animals that rely on the fruits of these trees) should they actually get to the point where the plant/tree/bush “runs out”?
April 10th, 2006 at 1:32pm
A good idea, though James’ point must be taken into account. Don’t forget the hunting bit, though. This scheme would give a much-needed boost to the hunting and shooting community, especially those like me who hunt with a lurcher and do some rough shooting for the pot.
April 10th, 2006 at 5:00pm
Nerinjeri,
Thanks for your feedback. I wonder if sensitivity to the ecosystem isn’t something that can be discussed on the website. Maybe part of a website forum. The internet is such a great tool- perhaps we can use it to successfully resolve some real world conflicts like being sensitive to the other fauna dependent on that plant/tree/bush.
Kestrel,
Thanks for your feedback. When I concieved of the idea, I wasn’t thinking of hunting at all. Merely envisioning a website where it was easy to share locations and information about gleaning and gathering. Maybe a hunting website is your mysociety proposal idea.
Thanks again,
Kristy Lyn Levings
ps-thanks to all the folks contributing links and ideas. It’s much appreciated! KLL
July 3rd, 2006 at 8:15pm
If your going to do this please, Please, PLEASE include info on dangerous plants to avoid.
Deadly nightshade has very attractive black berries and, as the name suggests, will kill you.
(The difference between Horse and Spanish Chestnuts would be good too.)
As for the food idea in general there are plenty of books out there about identifying wild food sources, maybe do a wkik book with info people have contributed.
“Wild” food sources are being over exploited on some public lands – e.g. i’ve seen notices next to paths on the hills near my parents discouraging people from picking fungi so they can regenerate etc.
Also – look up the economic pattern called “The tragedy of the commons”
Still, there are plenty of blackberries out there…