scholarly journals Urban nature at the fingertips: Investigating wild food foraging to enable nature interactions of urban dwellers

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Schunko ◽  
Anjoulie Brandner
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Wild Foods ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Nature Relatedness ◽  
Food Species ◽  
Extinction Of Experience

AbstractMeaningful human–nature interactions can counteract the extinction of experience and positively influence people’s nature relatedness, health and wellbeing. In this study, we explored urban wild food foraging to understand how best to enable human-nature interactions in cities by means of foraging. Using a structured questionnaire, a total of 458 residents of Vienna, Austria were surveyed. Sixty-four percent of visitors of public urban green spaces previously foraged for wild food species, whereas foraging frequencies were related to the targeted plant species and their life forms. People who foraged more frequently had greater nature relatedness, more childhood foraging experiences and lived on the outskirts of the city, but their socio-demographic backgrounds were heterogeneous. Social acceptance and lack of access to wild foods were perceived to be barriers. To promote nature relatedness through urban foraging, the legal framework, access to low-contamination foraging areas, availability of wild foods and social acceptance need to be improved.

Wild Foods

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zareen Pervez Bharucha ◽  
Jules Pretty
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Drivers Of Change ◽  
Wild Foods ◽  
Total Food ◽  
Food Species ◽  
Cultivated Species ◽  
The Continuum

This article examines the role of wild foods in food security. It discusses the continuum between “wild” and domesticated food; the management of nonagricultural environments; the nutritional and economic value of wild foods and the drivers of change in wild food availability and use. It argues that the emphasis on the contributions of cultivated species to food security has downplayed the importance of wild food species, which form a large part of the total food basket for households from agricultural, hunter, gatherer, and forager systems.

scholarly journals Pollution as a Paradigm: Property, Dignity, and Absorption in Poth and Tezuka

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-132
Author(s):  
Sonja Schillings
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Central Element ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Visual Elements ◽  
Human Ability ◽  
The Law ◽  
Human And Nature ◽  
Airborne Viruses

Pollution, this article suggests, challenges the fundamental structural premises of contemporary state institutions such as the law. These institutions are based on the premise of human exceptionalism via the construction of a human-nature divide. This divide only allows one point of connection between human and nature: the human ability to absorb nature as property. Such metaphorical understandings of absorption become a problem as soon as the physical human body is faced with a situation in which we constantly absorb pollution (e.g. nitrogen oxides, microplastic, ionizing radiation, but also other life forms such as airborne viruses). As a result, contemporary institutions are ill-equipped to deal with pollution as a central element of the contemporary human condition. This article suggests that comics are a model for rethinking these categorical issues productively and sustainably. By using visual elements, comics have already been able to reframe and recontextualize categorical premises such as the human-nature divide that otherwise tend to be reproduced in critical theory and the law. To make this point for the potential of a new categorical language that centrally draws on visual elements in text, the article uses two central examples from Japan and Germany: Osamu Tezuka's story "Space Snow Leopard" from the Astro Boy series, and Chlodwig Poth's short comic "Jörg the Limelight Hog."

scholarly journals Wild food plants of Remote Oceania

2012 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will C. McClatchey
Keyword(s):  
Western Pacific ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Wild Food Plants ◽  
Wild Foods ◽  
Agricultural Society ◽  
Tropical Western Pacific ◽  
Agricultural Societies ◽  
Vegetables And Fruits

Agricultural societies partly depend upon wild foods. Relationships between an agricultural society and its wild foods can be explored by examining how the society responds through colonization of new lands that have not been previously inhabited. The oldest clear example of this phenomenon took place about 5000 years ago in the tropical Western Pacific at the “boundary” interface between Near and Remote Oceania. An inventory of wild and domesticated food plants used by people living along “the remote side of ” that interface has been prepared from the literature. This was then assessed for the roles of plants at the time of original colonization of Remote Oceania. The majority of species are wild foods, and most of these are used as leafy vegetables and fruits. The wild food plants mostly serve as supplements to domesticated species, although there are a few that can be used as substitutes for traditional staples.

scholarly journals Is it ‘more normal’ to enhance than to restore our nature?

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 105-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hähnel
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Statistical Concept ◽  
Medical Treatments ◽  
Ethical Attitudes ◽  
Short Overview ◽  
Contextual Awareness ◽  
Normative Criteria

Abstract In this paper I give a short overview about the general implications of issues of human nature within the field of human enhancement. The first section of my contribution deals with a certain intertwining of human enhancement and the intrinsic claims of human nature, showing that a non-statistical concept of human nature can play a crucial role in the debate on human enhancement. After that, my aim is to validate that particular enhancements (e.g. neuro-enhancement) fall under the same normative criteria as “normal enhancement”, only requiring a special contextual awareness to co-exist with it ethically. Methodically, my intention is to draw on quasi-naturalist approaches, which argue that our nature as humans is not a “mixed bag”, but seems to be wholly constituted by its species-related characteristics. As a result, we can state that our evaluations of living beings or life forms, which are also evaluations of our methods of medical treatments and of our ethical attitudes, depend on our picture of human nature.

scholarly journals Documentation of Wild Edible Leafy Vegetable Traditionally Used By Tribal and Rural Communities of North Maharashtra, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-159
Author(s):  
Sachin Golait ◽  
Sanjay Auti ◽  
Shankar Laware
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Leafy Vegetable ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
The World ◽  
Food Species ◽  
Wild Resources ◽  
Tribal Region ◽  
Near Future

Number of wild edible plants is commonly used in the traditional diets of tribal people in many parts of the world. North Maharashtra is well known for its tribal region and tribes from this region partially or fully dependent on the wild resources for their nutritional requirements. The present study was designed to document specifically the wild leafy vegetables from North Maharashtra. A total of 62 traditionally used wild leafy vegetable species were collected, identified and documented. Out of 62 species, 61 species belongs to Angiosperms and 1 belong to pteridophyte.  With respect to families Amaranthaceae, Araceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae were found to be the largest families with 29 species. Herbs are the major source of wild leafy vegetables with 43 species and forest is the home for the majority of wild leafy vegetables. Due to less awareness, loss of vegetation and fast erosion of traditional knowledge many species are on the line of rarity. The study helps to conserve those wild food species and cultivate them on large scales, to uplift their economical status and sustainable management in near future.

scholarly journals Foods from the wild: Local knowledge, use pattern and distribution in Western Nepal

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258905
Author(s):  
Dhruba Khakurel ◽  
Yadav Uprety ◽  
Łukasz Łuczaj ◽  
Sangeeta Rajbhandary
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Consensus Method ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Cash Income ◽  
Edible Plants ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Food Species

Locally harvested wild edible plants (WEPs) provide food as well as cash income for indigenous peoples and local communities, and they are of great importance in ensuring local food security. However, their uses and availability are poorly documented. This study aimed to enumerate WEP diversity and status of WEPs in a part of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Sikles region, where the population is dominated by the Gurung community. Ethnobotanical data were collected using guided field walks, semi-structured interviews, and field observation. The informant consensus method was employed and group discussions were conducted for triangulation of the information. Free listing and identification tests were performed to assess the knowledge of the informants. Both descriptive statistics and quantitative ethnobotanical methods were used for data analysis. A total of 72 wild food species belonging to 46 families and 61 genera were reported from the study area. Asparagaceae and Rosaceae were the dominant families, and herbs were the dominant life form. Fruits (34 species) were the most frequently used plant parts, followed by young shoots (16 species). Most edible plants were consumed in summer and during rainy seasons. While the age and type of informants had an influence on the number of enumerated plants, gender did not. Key informants and people aged 30–45 reported more species than other groups of respondents. Most of the knowledge about the use of WEPs was acquired from parents and relatives. The consumption of these plants was attributed to diversifying cuisine, spicing staple food, nutri-medicinal values, and cultural practices. People perceived the availability of WEPs to be gradually decreasing. However, WEPs are still abundant and diverse in the study area, and knowledge on their use is well-preserved. These resources provide food and nutrients to local people and can also be a source of cash income. Therefore, the documented information on WEPs may serve as baseline data for further studies on nutritional values and provide guidelines for safe collection. The results also revealed that many wild species are under growing pressure from various anthropogenic factors, suggesting effective community engagement is required for their conservation.

scholarly journals Estética post-humana en la obra gráfica de Claudio Romo

2021 ◽  
pp. 199-216
Author(s):  
Claire Mercier
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Being ◽  
New Humanism ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
Graphic Work ◽  
Post Humanism

This paper considers the graphic work of the Chilean artist Claudio Romo from a post-human perspective. Romo's work realizes an opening of imaginaries, above all, new configurations of human being, in order to reconsider the boundaries of human nature and propose a new humanism in relation to a new understanding of modernity. After a theoretical tour of post-humanism, especially of Rosi Braidotti's philosophical nomadism, the paper will approach the post-human bestiary that elaborates Romo, on the one hand, as a questioning of access to empirical realities and, on the other hand, as a presentation of potential life forms. The paper will conclude on the presence, in Romo’s work, of a new affirmative humanism, that is, the experimentation of new modes of subjectivization, as well as the approach of new modes of knowledge.

scholarly journals Food biodiversity includes both locally cultivated and wild food species in Guasaganda, Central Ecuador

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Penafiel ◽  
Wouter Vanhove ◽  
Ramon L. Espinel ◽  
Patrick Van Damme
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Nutrient Adequacy ◽  
Animal Diversity ◽  
Food Species ◽  
Combination Of Methods

Abstract Background Worldwide, the number of wild and domesticated food species is declining, which endangers dietary diversity of particularly indigenous people. Unfortunately, eating culture and traditional knowledge is also hampered when food species are no longer available. Methods This study reports the food biodiversity in Guasaganda, Central Ecuador, using a combination of methods aiming to inform local initiatives. Results and discussion The number of species includes 49 wild, 41 cultivated, and 28 semi-cultivated plants and 13 wild, 9 domesticated, and 1 semi-domesticated animal species. Although, Guasaganda is a hot spot of plant and animal diversity, a limited number of plant (3.00 SD 1.45) and animal species (2.37 SD 1.44) are available at the farm. Conclusion Increasing the number of edible species in the food system is imperative for dietary diversity. Further research should document the consumption of the reported foods, and the nutrient and biochemical content to assess nutrient adequacy of the diet.

scholarly journals Foraging Wild Food in Urban Spaces: The Contribution of Wild Foods to Urban Dietary Diversity in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesekia Garekae ◽  
Charlie M. Shackleton
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Wild Foods ◽  
Vegetables And Fruits

Globally, approximately one billion people benefit from contributions of wild foods to their food security and dietary diversity. Wild foods are known to be important in rural communities in terms of food and micronutrient provision, diversifying diets, reducing vulnerability to non-communicable diseases and overall health. However, the potential contribution of wild foods towards food security and dietary diversity in urban food systems has been largely overlooked. This study examined the contribution of wild foods to household dietary diversity in two towns in South Africa, based on a survey of 137 households. Household diets were quite diverse, with half (51%) having consumed ≥ 8 food groups, 39% consumed 6 or 7 food groups, and only 10% recorded ≤ 5 food groups in the previous 48 h. Wild foods were prevalent across the sample, with 62% of the households consuming them to some degree. Wild vegetables and fruits were the most common wild foods, consumed by 96 and 79% of the households, respectively. Although wild foods had limited significance on overall dietary diversity, they exhibited substantial contributions within particular food groups. For example, the consumption of vegetables and oil and fats was most prevalent among households consuming wild foods than those who did not. The findings show that wild foods could contribute towards diversifying urban diets at a micro-level, within particular food groups consumed, such as vegetables and fruits. Hence, wild foods are important in ameliorating the monotonous diets of some households and in turn promoting dietary diversity.

Savanna hypothesis in the human–urban nature relationship

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Marie Hartsell
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Urban Nature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Urban Planning And Design ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life

Purpose This paper expounds theoretical reasons behind and practical applications of urban natural space as part of the ontological whole of the city. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, nonsecular and secular relationships between humans and nature are explored from an ontological perspective. Findings The characteristics of the savanna hypothesis are shown to be tectonic elements that have been used historically in human-defined landscapes and can be implemented in urban planning and design to enhance urban green spaces and improve the overall quality of urban life. Social implications The human–nature relationship has morphed and adapted as civilizations and their belief systems have grown and fallen aside. The human–nature relationship has affected the form of cities while human development and technological advancements have affected nature’s representation in the urban realm. Throughout the periods of nonsecular affection for nature and secular applications of nature, one theme has persisted: human innate preference for certain arrangements of certain natural elements. Though existing long before the first human settlements were formed, the savanna hypothesis was not coined until the 20th century. Originality/value Ultimately, the savanna hypothesis is exhibited as a joining concept that connects nonsecular affection for nature to secular qualities of urban nature and natural infrastructure.

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