Grasslands cover a quarter of the land surface and, with their rootedness in the soil and their above-ground diversity, protect life systems that are currently among the most threatened on Earth. Natural grasslands weave stories of human and animal relationships with the land in many parts of the world and tell of their mutual exchange: we want to better understand the importance of the bite and kick of grazing animals, the movement of pollen, seeds, microbes, livestock, and people, the giving and taking between these different actors holistically.
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A social-anthropological initiative by
Elisabeth Tauber, Almut Schneider
Since the Green Revolution this fragile system has been repeatedly affected by changes. As in the high mountain regions of the Alps, where fewer and fewer animals are led to graze, or as in many of today's meadows, which have turned into hay fields. These transformations have reduced the modes of living together of humans, animals and plants to a highly simplified system and have led to a glaring loss of species and degradation of soils.
Against this background, we aim to understand grass and its rather under-researched complexity and want to grasp which local and global relationships are involved in this more-than-human network. What are the consequences for the anthropological perception if we put ‘grass’ at the centre of our attention?
Wanting to relearn about the value of grassland and caring practices, we gather colleagues from anthropology, ecology, design as well as practitioners in the field.
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Contact
info@grasslands.it