Hualien Indigenous Wild Vegetable Center

In Taiwan, Dongi Kacaw Works to Save Indigenous Plant Knowledge - AFAR

"A community space on Taiwan’s east coast run by Indigenous educator Dongi Kacaw that preserves and teaches traditional ecological knowledge. For more than two decades it has hosted lectures, seed-swapping sessions, and hands-on workshops on crafts from bark, rice wine production, and cooking with tropical foraged nightshades. Its intentionally overgrown garden is used to demonstrate edible wild greens—from rattan palms and shepherd’s needles to ramie and roxburgh sumac—and to teach sustainable harvesting, seed conservation, and the cultural practices around use of these plants. The center collects heirloom seeds, encourages farmers to cultivate endemic vegetables, cautions foragers about pesticides and taking only small amounts, and has helped shift public and culinary interest toward Indigenous ingredients and related cottage industries." - Clarissa Wei