World Cafe presentation for Slow Food USA at the Terra Madre in Torino, Italy 2015. The World Cafe was designed to tease out some of the links between ethnobotany and ethnoecology research and the Slow Food eco-gastronomy movement.

1. C. W. Whitney1,2,* Hendrick Brand3
1 Faculty of Life Sciences, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences,
Marie-Curie-Straße 1, 47533 Kleve, Germany
2 PhD Candidate, University Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany *contact:
cory.whitney@hsrw.eu, +49 2821 80673 +664
3 Ethnobotanist, German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture
(DITSL) at the University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany!

2. Exoteric movements
Isolated works

3. Esoteric research
Exoteric movements
Isolated works

4. Esoteric research
Exoteric movements
Isolated works

5. World Café

7. World Café
How does it work?

9. Food Traditions
Conservation
Food culture
Traditional knowledge
Traditional culture
Science for development
Who’s idea of development?
Development toward what?
Activism
Direct action
Positive action
Ind. plants

10. Questions for focusing collective
attention
• What question, if answered, could make the greatest difference to
the future of the
• situation we're exploring here?
• What's important to you about this situation and why do you care?
• What draws you / us to this inquiry?
• What's our intention here? What's the deeper purpose - the "big
why" - that is worthy of our best effort?
• What opportunities can we see in this situation?
• What do we know so far / still need to learn about this situation?
• What are the dilemmas / opportunities in this situation?
• What assumptions do we need to test or challenge in thinking about
this situation?
• What would someone who had a very different set of beliefs than we
do say about this situation?

11. Questions for connecting ideas and
finding deeper insight
• What's taking shape here?
• What are we hearing underneath the variety of opinions being expressed?
• What is in the center of our listening?
• What's emerging that is new for you?
• What connections are you making?
• What have you heard that had real meaning for you?
• What surprised you?
• What puzzled or challenged you?
• What question would you like to ask now?
• What is missing from the picture so far?
• What are we not seeing?
• Where do we need more clarity?
• What has been your major learning or insight so far?
• What's the next level of thinking we need to address?
• If there was one thing that hasn't yet been said but is needed in order to
reach a deeper level of understanding and clarity, what would that be?

12. Questions that create forward
movement
• What would it take to create change on this issue?
• What could happen that would enable you to feel fully engaged and
energized in this situation?
• What's possible here and who cares about it?
• What needs our immediate attention going forward?
• If our success was completely guaranteed, what bold steps might we
choose?
• How can we support each other in taking the next steps?
• What unique contribution can we each make?
• What challenges might block our way and how might we meet them?
• What conversation if begun today, could ripple out in a way that
created new possibilities for the future of eco-gastronomy and
ethnobotany?
• What seed might we plant together today that could make the most
difference to the future of eco-gastronomy and ethnobotany?

13. Within the ethical approach of
Agroecology and the world view of the
Slow Food movement how can
ethnobotany catch up with the rest of the
research for development field to help
peasant farmers address real-life issues
while preserving and conserving natural
systems and indigenous species.
World Café Question
Ethnobotany and eco-gastronomy

14. or
World Café Question
Ethnobotany and eco-gastronomy

15. What could be the role for ethnobotanists
in helping communities to reach their
aims in helping small scale farmers.
World Café Question
Ethnobotany and eco-gastronomy

16. or
World Café Question
Ethnobotany and eco-gastronomy

17. How can local food movements use the
field of ethnobotany as a tool to help
preserve and conserve local systems of
food and culture.
World Café Question
Ethnobotany and eco-gastronomy

18. or
World Café Question
Ethnobotany and eco-gastronomy

19. What does ‘slow ethnobotany’ look like
and how does it relate to eco-
gastronomy?
World Café Question
Ethnobotany and eco-gastronomy