Sharing in Kentucky (2017 study):
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Background of Study:
From early July-early October of 2017, I lived in the central Appalachian Mountains of southeast Kentucky, where I collected data for a study called "Sharing in Kentucky." The main purpose of "Sharing in Kentucky" was to learn from local people about how sharing and giving happens informally, within communities. To gather data, I interviewed local people and ran a survey. If you were a participant, or are one of the many people who helped me do this work, thank you! I am glad to share these results with you and welcome your feedback and questions! |
Background for Survey:
The study had two components: interviews were aimed at understanding how people share with and support one another (see Human Generosity Project for additional details about sharing and social support systems around the world). I added the survey component to the work because I wondered whether being able to share home-grown (or hunted, or gathered) food might affect how people feel about their communities more generally -- assessing what social scientists have described as the level of "social capital."
The study had two components: interviews were aimed at understanding how people share with and support one another (see Human Generosity Project for additional details about sharing and social support systems around the world). I added the survey component to the work because I wondered whether being able to share home-grown (or hunted, or gathered) food might affect how people feel about their communities more generally -- assessing what social scientists have described as the level of "social capital."
SURVEY DATA
The survey was given at the Knott and Perry County farmers markets.
Survey participants:
The map at left shows the home location reported by survey participants (for the 66 of 70 who provided a zip code).
Survey participants:
- 70 people (37 women, 33 men)
- Age: 18-81 (average = 41)
The map at left shows the home location reported by survey participants (for the 66 of 70 who provided a zip code).
- Most participants were long-term residents of their current communities: 41% had lived in their current communities their entire lives, while 73% of the sample had been living in their current community for at least half of their lives.
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RESULTS
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Survey participants were asked whether they GARDENED, HUNTED, FORAGED (got wild plants), FISHED, or FARMED in the past year. 88.6% of participants did one or more of these "subsistence activities" in the past year.
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"Foraging" or gathering wild plant foods was the most commonly reported subsistence activity reported by participants in the past year (77% of participants reported having gathered wild plant foods). Gardening was also popular, with 7 of 10 participants indicated that they harvested produce within the past year.
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Plantain
Hostas
Purslane
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Of those who ate wild plant foods within the past year, the most commonly eaten wild plant food were berries. Roughly half of the participants reported having eaten wild greens. The "other" category included what participants wrote in: sorrel, purslane, dandelion, plantain, cattails, cohash, bird's toe, honeysuckle, wild apples, wild pears, and hostas.
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Sharing was very common for those with garden produce, game meat, fish, and farm animals. Of the participants who had a garden in the past year, and of those who hunted, about 90% shared those foods outside their households. Perhaps because they can be gathered from so many different places and may not provide vast quantities at one time, wild plants were shared less commonly outside the household (69% of those gathering wild plants).
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These are the most commonly consumed game meats for those who consumed game meat within the past year. Less frequently consumed game meats included Turtle (9%), Dove (4%), Snake (3%), Quail (3%), Duck (1%), Bear (1%), and Groundhog (1%).
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This study was supported by the Human Generosity Project.
