What’s your wild food story? Contribute to our online campaign!

Photo: Icaro Cooke Vieira (CIFOR) / Flickr.

Let the world know about your connection with indigenous food, biodiversity and livelihoods!

We are inviting indigenous people, local communities, support groups and other organizations working with sustainability from South and Southeast Asia to contribute stories and reflections about wild foods, biodiversity and livelihoods.

These contributions will be featured in an online campaign to build awareness about the value of wild foods and forests for food security and livelihoods. We believe that amplifying various voices from the forests of Asia will help to engage the general public and support the development of food security policies that are rooted in local and traditional knowledge and inclusive collaboration.

Download the information flyer

Why participate?

Your perspectives on wild foods matter!

We seek the stories from the ground from people who harvest and consume wild foods, as well as from the organizations and support groups who work with wild foods conservation, restoration and revival.

Personal stories from forest-dependent communities about wild foods and the challenges they face, especially during COVID-19, will enhance the importance of local actors as pioneers for sustainable, nature-based solutions.

Your stories will serve as a message of hope and a call to action for support and solidarity as we bring to light how important wild foods are for health, nutrition and culture. The contributions will be used to form an online campaign and for the discussions during a regional dialogue involving policy-makers, donor institutions, support groups and other actors we are planning to bring together

Stay tuned for events and activities that will be organized by the Expert Group. We are planning various online knowledge exchange events, cook shows and other activities!

How to contribute?

Here are some guiding questions:

What wild foods are present in your area?
Do you use them for medicine and nutrition or do they hold a part of the history of your community?

How do you grow, collect, harvest and prepare these foods?
Who is involved in these processes?
What are the challenges or threats to wild foods in your area?
What should be done so that foods and traditions can continue to thrive

Your contributions can be in the form of, but not limited to, the following:

Short video clips – at least 2 minutes long, but not exceeding 5 minutes
Photos – with captions/narrative description
Recorded voice messages or audio recordings
Recipes
Artwork and illustrations
Songs
Declarations from the community

You can be as creative as you want – all contributions are welcome! Video footage and audio recordings taken using your mobile cameras are encouraged. You are welcome to submit entries in your own local language(s), we can work together with the translations afterwards.

How will we use the information you provide?

Your contributions will be part of an online campaign on wild foods, biodiversity and livelihood.

By contributing to this initiative you agree to share the information provided with the Wild Foods, Biodiversity and Livelihood Expert Group.

Please note that we take your privacy seriously and will only use your information for this campaign and the regional dialogue that will be convened by the Expert Group.

SIANI and NTFP-EP will only use the contributed materials for the online campaign on wild foods, biodiversity and livelihood. It may also be featured in the event(s) organized by the expert group. Materials will not be used for any other purposes unless proper consent is given.
The author/contributor shall maintain the proprietary rights to the contributed materials. SIANI & NTFP-EP will give the appropriate credit to the author/contributor for use of the materials submitted and selected.
Materials are contributed voluntarily, and can be withdrawn at a future date should contributors decide to do so.
Information or materials contributed are to be made publicly available, online as part of the campaign, and offline as part of exhibit(s) at event(s) and should therefore not represent sensitive or private information.
The contributor(s) should consult with their community or relevant institutions to make sure the information can be shared.
If you have any concerns, please contact the expert group through: diana.sanjose@ntfp.org

How to send your stories?

Please send your contributions by email along with the following information:

Name, title, organization/ affiliation and contact information
Brief biography explaining your interest and background on wild foods
A description of your contribution (abstract)
Contact person
Indicate “wild food stories” in the subject line

Email your contributions to diana.sanjose@ntfp.org

Deadline: October 1, 2020.

Selected contributions will be confirmed through email.

Get in touch if you have any additional questions!

Topic:

Health and nutrition Landscape and natural resources management

Tags:

Food security and nutrition Forest communities Indigenous Food Indigenous Knowledge South Asia Southeast Asia Sustainable forestry