One of our most unexpected and magical workshops in September was called Mushroom Growing in Urban Areas and it revolved around the theme of food sovereignty. In this single session, Carlos Briones Pérez, an ethnomycologist dedicated to the cultivation of culturally important mushrooms, began with a brief talk on the history of mushrooms in pre-Hispanic times and the first cave paintings, and then went on to the practical part in which they were able to create the suitable conditions for the cultivation of fungi. The workshop had the objective of disseminating and training the valedores in the cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms from easily accessible organic waste such as cardboard, cigarette butts and newspapers.
An additional benefit of this workshop is that the valedores who are interested find a space where to carry out this practice, as it has a “do what you can with what you have” approach.
It was an unprecedented experience to be able to share with the valedores, authentic and very funny people, a little about the wonderful world of mushrooms and the art of their cultivation.
This activity is part of a social work that, as a biologist, and in collaboration with other colleagues in different facets of my career, we promote in various settings and between specific social sectors (generally the least informed on the subject), to inform, sensitize and make them aware of the environmental, cultural, and biotechnological potential of fungi to solve problems of current global interest.
The idea is to inspire people so they can become more actively involved in caring for the habitats of fungi and valuing their traditional culture; as well as providing them with the tools (biotechnological transfer) so they will be able to undertake an applied science project with fungi, which may have a positive socio-environmental impact on their communities. And this is where I see mushroom cultivation as an opportunity.
“If I were a botanist, I would do it through the promotion of orchards, if an entomologist, surely inspired by beekeeping. It is about giving back from our field of study, to the world ”.
We had magazines, photo and a collection of cool merchandise. The fair was a platform where stories intertwined and where culture and diversity were celebrated. For our ‘Valedors’, each visitor to our strand constituted a creative encounter, a literary escape and a direct contribution to this amazing cause. Each and every smile and interaction helped […]
It is with great pleasure that we celebrate the 13th birthday of the Historical Archive of @Alc_Iztapalapa, an invaluable platform dedicated to the protection and study of the rich history of this territory. We were part of their cultural market “tianguis”, sharing a platform with the community. We would like to express our sincerest gratitude […]
We were honored to participate in the Conference on Homelessness in South America 2023, dedicated to deep-diving into the complexities of homelessness in our country and exploring innovative solutions to compact the social challenges it presents. We examined the root causes of homelessness, ranging from economic and social factors to those relating to mental health […]
We had magazines, photo and a collection of cool merchandise. The fair was a platform where stories intertwined and where culture and diversity were celebrated. For our ‘Valedors’, each visitor to our strand constituted a creative encounter, a literary escape and a direct contribution to this amazing cause. Each and every smile and interaction helped […]
It is with great pleasure that we celebrate the 13th birthday of the Historical Archive of @Alc_Iztapalapa, an invaluable platform dedicated to the protection and study of the rich history of this territory. We were part of their cultural market “tianguis”, sharing a platform with the community. We would like to express our sincerest gratitude […]
We were honored to participate in the Conference on Homelessness in South America 2023, dedicated to deep-diving into the complexities of homelessness in our country and exploring innovative solutions to compact the social challenges it presents. We examined the root causes of homelessness, ranging from economic and social factors to those relating to mental health […]
