More about Gabriela’s global food fellowship:
Location: Puerto Rico

Research question: How do backyard plant composition and uses contribute to a community's diet, resiliency and sustainability? How can a community-managed forest supplement this?

Project description: I performed my research around a community-managed forest in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. I wanted to understand the plant composition of the backyards of the residents that surround this forest and how they use these plants, with a particular interest in uses for food and medicine. Since it is known that more than 85% of the food consumed in Puerto Rico is imported, I wanted to understand what portion of household food consumption in this community came from backyards, and how this adjacent forest could supplement that local consumption for community-scale sustainability and resiliency.

Notable fellowship moment: Going to the field with some amazing women that will scare off wild horses and grab a machete to re-open an over-grown trail in the forest.

Favorite fellowship meal: Cod fish croquettes made with a breadfruit given by one of my interviewees.

New questions arising from Gabriela’s research: How much food actually comes from home backyards in all of Puerto Rico? How can a community forest model like the one I did research on be scaled up to other parts of Puerto Rico for conservation purposes but also for socio-economic benefits? What would the increase of popularity in planting food crops in homes look like in Puerto Rico and how could it be achieved for sustainability, health and resiliency purposes?

Gabriela’s other interests: Participatory land/forest management, access to recreation and the outdoors, agroforestry, grassroots organizing, good music!