The best way to overcome plant blindness is to
increase our knowledge and exposure to them.”
from the
EDITOR
TG Toby Gorman
10
Maximum Yield
B
eyond the plants you grow in your garden,
how tapped in are you to plants in
general? Do you know the species of the tree
in your front yard? Do you know the origins of
the produce in your supermarket or farmers
market? Are you aware of the indigenous and
invasive species in your community?
As more and more people migrate to urban
centers, our detachment from the plant
world is increasing. This is concerning for
a number of reasons, but largely because
plants are critical for human health and,
ultimately, our survival. They moderate
the environment, they nourish us, and they
provide important medicines.
There is a term for this increasing lack
of acknowledgement of plants. In 1998 US
botanists Elisabeth Schussler and James
Wandersee coined the term “plant blindness,”
referring to the inability to see or notice the
plants in one’s own environment.
It is, to be honest, a general underappreciation
of plants, and this nature-deficit disorder is
on the rise while funding for plant research
is on the decline.
The best way to overcome plant blindness
is to increase our knowledge and exposure to
them. This, in turn, will create an emotional
connection to them, much like we do with
animals. With this in mind, in this issue we
introduce “A History of Your Food” on page 54.
Since most of our readers grow food, it is an
effort to educate our readers on the origins
of the food we grow and consume, how
crops and plants have been crossbred and
developed by humans over millennia, and
why the plants we grow are important.
In this world of screen time and technology,
it’s important to keep engaged with the natural
world. Growing and learning about the plants
we consume and are surrounded by is a great
way to appreciate them more.