Foraging Fruit

Imagine a world where people pay little to nothing for their regional fruits and vegetables and the exchange of pleasantries between neighbors is a common occurrence.

Californian Asiya Wadud is pushing for this way of life and has started a project that seeks “to create a new paradigm around how we presently think about food in our collective consciousness.” Forage Oakland is a "backyard surplus fruit barter network" that is taking advantage of many unharvested fruit trees in East Bay neighborhoods. Over the last 9 months Asiya has networked over 120 homeowners to partake in a bartering program and has created an “editable map” to show where and what is cultivated in certain neighborhoods.

The idea has been gaining some attention and now Asiya is seeking to win a $10,000 grant from Ideablog. If the project wins the grant, Asiya will purchase a fleet of bikes so others may join her on her fruit redistribution mission as well as setting up a weekly fruit stand to help distribute the bounty. The stand will also act as a drop-off station for people with excess fruit they would like to share with the community.

You can vote for Asiya’s idea here and help make this original concept become a commonplace occurrence nationwide.

"Foraging 944" photo by Asiya Wadud, used with permission.