Many of us don’t realize the full food potential of the fruit-bearing trees in our backyard; the practice of voluntary harvesting ensures these unused and unwanted edibles don’t go to waste.
There are a number of voluntary harvesting collectives in place across the United States. In Berkeley, the North Berkeley Harvest goes door to door picking fruit from the yards of people’s homes and donates their bounty to non-profit organizations. Trend Central also reports that there are similar voluntary harvesting outposts in Arizona, Los Angeles and the Silicon Valley.
As its name implies, voluntary harvesting depends completely on the permission of the fruit tree’s owner. The purpose of voluntary harvesting is to make the best use of food that would otherwise have gone to waste, not to steal fruit from people’s yards. It’s a clever guerrilla take on food waste.
Voluntary Harvesting
Guerrilla Initiatve Puts Unwanted, Unpicked Fruit to Use
Trend Themes
1. Voluntary Harvesting Collectives - The rise of voluntary harvesting collectives presents an opportunity for businesses to create platforms or services that connect fruit tree owners with voluntary harvesters.
2. Collaborative Food Waste Solutions - The practice of voluntary harvesting highlights the potential for collaborative solutions to reduce food waste, opening up opportunities for businesses to develop innovative platforms or technologies that facilitate sharing and redistribution of excess food.
3. Guerrilla Food Waste Initiatives - The emergence of guerrilla-inspired practices like voluntary harvesting calls for disruptive innovation in the food waste industry, such as the development of mobile apps or platforms that enable individuals and communities to take action against food waste in creative ways.
Industry Implications
1. Agriculture and Farming - The voluntary harvesting trend presents potential for the agriculture and farming industry to tap into new revenue streams by providing support and resources to voluntary harvesters and fruit tree owners.
2. Non-profit and Charitable Organizations - Non-profit and charitable organizations can explore partnerships with voluntary harvesting collectives to access fresh produce for distribution to those in need, expanding their impact in combating food insecurity.
3. Technology and App Development - The rise of voluntary harvesting and guerrilla-inspired food waste initiatives creates opportunities for tech companies and app developers to create innovative platforms or tools that facilitate coordination, communication, and tracking within the voluntary harvesting ecosystem.