Wild food practices: understanding the wider implications for design and HCI

Abstract

Ethnographic studies in their many forms have played a major role in informing the design and development of a multitude of systems, from pervasive games to ubiquitous systems that support market traders. This paper presents an alternative response to the understanding of the practices of procurement and usage of wild food, and the way that one might technologically intervene within these group practices in order to support an environmentally aware approach to such activities. The initial findings of this study not only suggest that there are multiple points where technological intervention is possible, but also demonstrate both the complexity and range of technological possibilities in regard to the act of foraging, the culture of wild food and biodiversity.