grove & grit restoration brief on foraging & food sovereignty

grove & grit restoration brief on foraging & food sovereignty

From treehugger podcast by Michael T Yadrick

February 11, 2026 · 18 min · Episode 61

About this episode

This episode explores the complex relationship between foraging, ecology, culture, and law, focusing on food sovereignty and conservation policies.

Let's explore foraging as a living, contested relationship between ecology, culture, law, and survival. Beginning with za'atar - a resilient wild thyme central to Palestinian foodways - we examine how conservation policy can criminalize cultural harvest. From there, we move briefly through international access models (UK personal-use law, Nordic everyman's rights, regulated European mushroom harvest), and closer to home: US National Parks, Washington State Parks, Seattle, and Tacoma. We unpack how language like management , stewardship , and resource protection can obscure power, and we ground the conversation in ecological restoration, justice, livelihoods, and human health. We also highlight examples of agencies attempting to align policy with principle and how there is a new story emerging that could signal change - if we demand it. Ultimately, the question remains: Who gets to eat from the land? Selected References & Policies Hernandez, J., & Vogt, K. A. (2020). Indigenizing Restoration: Indigenous Lands before Urban Parks . Human Biology, 92 (1), 37–44. https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol92/iss1/5/ Society for Ecological Restoration. (2021). International principles…

People in this episode

Host: Michael T Yadrick

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Society for Ecological Restoration, United Nations

Books & works: Indigenizing Restoration: Indigenous Lands before Urban Parks

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