Edible Landscapes

This TED Talk delivered by Pam Warhurst describes how the community of Todmorden in England decided to build resilience and recreate a community in the town through the language of food. This movement serves to take unused, dull and rundown land areas to create edible landscapes such as vegetable gardens, herb gardens and fruit trees in an urban setting. The purpose of this movement aims to promote an inclusive environment to encourage community engagement and empowerment by re-imagining our living spaces and the way we live. By creating edible landscapes, Warhurst hope to place local food producers at the center of the community rather than the outskirts, encouraging younger generations to recognize the organic processes of where their food comes from.

Community gardens and creation of edible landscapes fosters a sense of of engagement within communities across cultures, age, gender, class and abilities. In contemporary living spaces, there seems to be a natural reoccurring notion embedded in society that promotes and encourages the idea of individualism, competition and certain perceptions of success. These ideals hinder advocacy for community action and devalues particular aspects of society, while supporting current power structures and rewards those in compliance with the system. Edible landscapes serves to challenge societal norms and give community members a new way of interacting with one another through the language of food.

TED Talk: "Pam Warhurst: How We Can Eat Our Landscapes"