RSU researchers to hold international symposium Wild Things in Riga

While there has always been a genuine interest in wild foods in Latvia, enthusiasm for them has been more subdued in other parts of the world. This has changed in recent decades, when the green agenda, climate change, and the increasingly close link between food consumption and lifestyle have contributed to a growing interest in foraging and wildlife, both in society at large and in the scientific community.

While there is much public enthusiasm for these foods, it is within the scientific community that the newfound interest in wildlife has created a particularly interesting dynamic, creating a new juncture where seemingly incompatible visions of wildlife - those that prioritise culture, conservation, aesthetics, economics, ethics, etc. - must find common ground. This is a challenging task, but its resolution promises significant benefits - such as the possibility of making food systems more responsive to the needs of ecosystems, fostering a deeper understanding of ecosystems and climate among citizens, creating new models for forest and wildlife management, and so on. These issues have been high on the agenda of politicians and scientists alike in recent decades.

The interest and experience with wild foods among Latvian citizens, NGOs and scientists allows us to be at the centre of these discussions and to moderate them. RSU researchers are actively involved in promoting these discussions and are organising an international symposium Wild Things on 3 October this year. The symposium aims to raise awareness of wild foods and to seek interdisciplinary perspectives that promote a multi-dimensional understanding of the different facets and benefits of the interactions between society and wild foods. 

This unique symposium will bring together researchers from Scotland, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia. Participants will present research exploring the importance of foraging for wild foods in culture, tradition and art; analysing the links between wild foods and contemporary lifestyles and leisure activities; exploring new ways of marketing wild foods and solutions for processing and recycling; and recording and monitoring wild foods. These topics illustrate both the different ways of talking about wild foods and the different terminology and methodological approaches to collecting data and presenting research. This symposium will seek common ground between the different perspectives and provide a new starting point for a deeper theoretical and conceptual understanding of societal interactions with wild foods.

The symposium is public and anyone can attend. You can keep up to date with the symposium on the RSU website.