Paper short abstract:

This study discusses the problematics of food in armed conflicts in relation to issues of food security and environmental sustainability. In the centre of attention stand everyday survival strategies of affected civilian populations with a focus on the consumption of locally available wild plants.

Paper long abstract:

In this presentation, I suggest that the "preindustrial knowledge" of obtaining and preparing food is relevant in terms of food security and environmental sustainability also at the beginning of the 21st century. This becomes apparent during the destabilisation of food production systems, which commonly appears in armed conflicts. As Redžić argues, wars are special forms of human interaction, that go along with shortages of food, water and medical supplies and, therefore, often cause acute and chronic hunger (Redžić, 2010).

Using the example of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1990's war, I attempt to bring a closer insight into everyday survival strategies of affected civilian populations with a focus on the consumption of locally available wild plants. Redžić (2010) points out, that semi-wild and wild plants were precious source of nutrients in the Siege of Sarajevo and in other parts of Bosnia. Based on my long-term ethnographic fieldwork in Srebrenica, the area of Podrinje and Sarajevo, I suggest that such bio-cultural practices and knowledge of food self-sufficiency appear to be not only an important factor of the individual survival chances in times of scarcity but also can be seen as a form of a bio-cultural heritage.