Foraging at the Edge of Capitalism

Project Information

FORAGING

Grant agreement ID: 101001792

DOI

10.3030/101001792

EC signature date 4 February 2021

Start date 1 January 2022

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 999 625,00

EU contribution

€ 1 999 625,00

Coordinated by

LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FORAGING (Foraging at the Edge of Capitalism)

Reporting period: 2023-07-01 to 2024-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In this moment of economic and environmental breakdown, an unexpected source of income has risen in global importance: foraging. Where the dream of a middle-class life based on a stable, salaried job no longer seems viable, and in places where the welfare state is under pressure, has never existed or has vanished, foraging is often the only avenue to upward social mobility. At the same time, the climate crisis and concerns for the rapid loss of biodiversity are raising the urgency for environmental conservation.

Broadly understood as practices of collecting, scavenging and gleaning, foraging is a global phenomenon of our times. However, it only gains patchy attention in mainstream debates on conservation and development. What is missing is a conceptual understanding of foraging as a basic mode of subsistence and a form of socio-environmental entanglement. The objective of this project is to take on this task and work towards a comprehensive political ecology of foraging in the Anthropocene.

Combining case studies in five locations into a comparative study and using collaborative and visual ethnographic methods,
we develop a deeper understanding of contemporary foraging practices around the world.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project started with an extensive online research on foraging practices, followed by a selection of cases for closer inspection. Five subprojects have been developedk, covering field sites in Albania, Nepal, Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the USA. Ethnographic fieldwork in these locations is currently ongoing.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project provides the first comparative study of foraging practices not limited to organic goods. Taking the practice of foraging as a basic economic strategy (different from "production" in agriculture and industry) we look into the socio-environmental entanglements that take place in the fuzzy fringes of a capitalist world economy. Apart from papers and conference presentations, expected results include an exhibition and documentary films.

Fritillaria bulbs collected in north-western Nepal.