Fostering Food Security and Innovation thru Urban Foraging

Ellis Anderson will present “Urban foraging offers individuals an opportunity to enhance food sovereignty on May 31 2024 during the Arctic Congress in Bodø, Norway.

In an increasingly urbanized world, it is easy to become disconnected from culture, community, and nature. Urban foraging is a way to foster community bonds, become environmentally aware, and serve as a supplementary food source. A community that forages can provide support in times of scarcity as well as furthering long-standing indigenous traditions of plant cultivation, gathering, and sharing. As urban foraging becomes an increasingly common practice, that becomes directly tied to environmental issues such as pollution, food sovereignty, and the right to forage for foods. 

We will highlight one section of Niriqatiginnga’s Facilitator Guidebook for Hosting Immersive Arts Experiences”. The goal of the urban foraging section focuses on identifying edible plants and mushrooms. The workshop consists of a touch table with examples of foods like berries for guests to try, as well as identification cards on staple foraging species, their name in various languages, their lookalikes, nutritional information, and safety information. When a person can identify the plants and animals they see every day, know their names and what they’re for, the world ceases to be a monolithic blur and it’s easier to feel connected to the place you live.

Arctic Congress 2024:

The congress takes place from 29 May to 3 June 2024 in Bodø, Norway, hosted by Nordland Research Institute and Nord University. An extraordinary illustration of Arctic co-operation, we bring these three conferences together for the first time in Bodø (European Capital of Culture 2024).

The congress includes high-level plenary sessions, several parallel sessions, network activities, and social and cultural events. This brings excellent opportunities for researchers, policymakers, businesses, and students to increase their connectivity and knowledge exchange on Arctic issues. IASSA and UArctic will also hold their assemblies.

For more information on the 2024 Arctic Congress, visit https://arcticcongress.com