The first in a series of workshops exploring garden-crafting as an opportunity to investigate the relationship between nature and culture, between human and more than human worlds.
Together, lead by James Reid (permaculturalist and local farmer), we will learn how to build a forest garden. A forest garden, according to Martin Crawford, is "a garden modelled on the structure of young natural woodland, utilising plants of direct and indirect benefit to people — often edible plants." By using a mixture of of "larger trees, small trees herbaceous perennials, herbs, annuals, root crops and climbers, all planted in such a way to maximise positive interactions and minimise negative interactions, with fertility maintained largely or wholly by the plants themselves." Or in other words, a way of growing food that works with the land, which requires less energy to maintain but is highly productive, looks beautiful and benefits the environment. Sounds almost too good to be true.
We will also be joined by Alexandra Falter (Ph.D Candidate in Anthropology, Aberdeen University) who will be joining us for the garden building and also to discuss her recent field work in Bolivia exploring human-plant relationships. She will focus on her work with traditional health practitioners and their use of plants for medical and ritual purposes. Drawing on this field experience she will reflect upon these relationships which are nurtured in gardens, on plots and along the way in the mountains. But she will also comment on the changes in the relationship between human and plants due to increasing migration to the cities where this relationship is significantly less shared with the next generation.
Schedule:
10am — Introduction / Deep Listening exercise
10.30am — Introduction to forest gardening / building the garden with James Reid
12.30pm — Talk by Alexandra Falter
1pm — 2pm Lunch / discussion
