Jana Spilková received her Ph.D. in social geography from the Charles University in Prague and is an associate professor of Human Geography at the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Charles University, Prague. Her research interests include geography of consumption, alternative food networks, urban agriculture and quality of life.
Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift-norwegian Journal of Geography, Oct 19, 2020
ABSTRACT The article fills the gap in the geographical literature on foraging in a Central and Ea... more ABSTRACT The article fills the gap in the geographical literature on foraging in a Central and Eastern European context. Its goals are to investigate the extent and character of foraging practice and the population of foragers in Czechia, as well as to uncover what motivates the practice of foraging for non-timber forest products. A mixed methods approach was used in the reported study, which combined the triangulation of data from official statistics, three waves of a representative data survey, and a case study of mushroom pickers in Prague, the capital city of Czechia. The results show that foraging is a widespread practice in Czechia with stable but fluctuating harvest volumes. Czechs gather mainly mushrooms and edible berries. The results also show that foraging is a traditional practice of people with different demographic characteristics and from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with a myriad of diverse motivations and connotations far from mere economic ones. Strolling outside in the fresh air and in forests is clearly a dominant motive. Thus, the author concludes that foraging in Czechia is far from being limited to livelihood strategies to tackle food insecurity.
ABSTRACT Farmers’ markets are a relatively recent phenomenon in Prague, Czechia. The first of the... more ABSTRACT Farmers’ markets are a relatively recent phenomenon in Prague, Czechia. The first of them was opened in the autumn of 2009, but the real boom started in the spring/summer of 2010. The survey introduced in this paper is concerned with the study of alternative food networks and farmers’ markets. It offers the results of methodological triangulation based on: (1) the data obtained via the questionnaire survey, (2) market organizers’ reflections on the customer structure, motivation for shopping at farmers’ markets and the question of social exclusivity of farmers’ markets in Prague as revealed in interviews, and (3) the field notes from the participant observation at the markets under study. The results show that farmers’ markets are emerging all around Prague in localities of different social status, so the poorer citizens are not necessarily excluded from the access to markets. The differences between markets, in terms of size, range of goods, and term seem to follow the inner city/hinterlands divide rather than the socio-spatial differentiation of the city. New consumer patterns clearly result from the cultural environment, specific context, and also from the different development path of the post-socialist consumer society.
Abstract Home gardens represent critical spaces in the configuration of socio-ecological landscap... more Abstract Home gardens represent critical spaces in the configuration of socio-ecological landscapes and an increasing number of local and regional governments have begun including them within their resilience strategies, local biodiversity action plans, and food or health agendas. This paper contributes to the limited literature on contemporary home gardening in the Global North with a pilot study of Czech home gardens. This study aims to: (i) reveal what is the current role of the home garden and how the gardeners themselves perceive the care of their gardens; (ii) asses what is the potential of “scaling up” home gardens to address problems on a larger scale and how the gardeners understand the potential of their contribution to urban environment. This pilot study uses data collected during a questionnaire survey of 464 home gardens in different settlement types in Czechia. The results show that home gardens may provide important amenities for individual gardeners and their families, while at the same time contributing to both intended and unintended environmental consequences at the level of whole neighbourhoods or green space in general. The scaling up of home gardens in making cities more sustainable is possible and desirable, but a strategy for communication must involve both the top-down and bottom-up approaches and tools sensitive to a variety of diverse populations who tend home gardens.
Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift - Norwegian Journal of Geography, 2020
ABSTRACT The article fills the gap in the geographical literature on foraging in a Central and Ea... more ABSTRACT The article fills the gap in the geographical literature on foraging in a Central and Eastern European context. Its goals are to investigate the extent and character of foraging practice and the population of foragers in Czechia, as well as to uncover what motivates the practice of foraging for non-timber forest products. A mixed methods approach was used in the reported study, which combined the triangulation of data from official statistics, three waves of a representative data survey, and a case study of mushroom pickers in Prague, the capital city of Czechia. The results show that foraging is a widespread practice in Czechia with stable but fluctuating harvest volumes. Czechs gather mainly mushrooms and edible berries. The results also show that foraging is a traditional practice of people with different demographic characteristics and from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with a myriad of diverse motivations and connotations far from mere economic ones. Strolling outside in the fresh air and in forests is clearly a dominant motive. Thus, the author concludes that foraging in Czechia is far from being limited to livelihood strategies to tackle food insecurity.
Abstract Home gardens represent critical spaces in the configuration of socio-ecological landscap... more Abstract Home gardens represent critical spaces in the configuration of socio-ecological landscapes and an increasing number of local and regional governments have begun including them within their resilience strategies, local biodiversity action plans, and food or health agendas. This paper contributes to the limited literature on contemporary home gardening in the Global North with a pilot study of Czech home gardens. This study aims to: (i) reveal what is the current role of the home garden and how the gardeners themselves perceive the care of their gardens; (ii) asses what is the potential of “scaling up” home gardens to address problems on a larger scale and how the gardeners understand the potential of their contribution to urban environment. This pilot study uses data collected during a questionnaire survey of 464 home gardens in different settlement types in Czechia. The results show that home gardens may provide important amenities for individual gardeners and their families, while at the same time contributing to both intended and unintended environmental consequences at the level of whole neighbourhoods or green space in general. The scaling up of home gardens in making cities more sustainable is possible and desirable, but a strategy for communication must involve both the top-down and bottom-up approaches and tools sensitive to a variety of diverse populations who tend home gardens.
This paper revisits the motivations and behaviours related to home food production in private hom... more This paper revisits the motivations and behaviours related to home food production in private home gardens. It aims to answer these research questions: (i) which activities are performed in the home garden?; (ii) if the garden fulfils the self-provisioning function, what are the motivations for food production?; (iii) does gardening and food self-provisioning impact a household’s environmental behaviour?; and (iv) does food self-provisioning relate to a household’s economic situation? The results show that production of vegetables and herbs is still the prevailing function of Czech home gardens. The motivations for this activity are better taste, healthier way of production and enjoyment of gardening as a hobby. These motivations remain mostly intact during societal transformations or economy fluctuations over recent decades, which declares the strength and tradition of home food production in Czechia. Economic motivation was not proved as an important motivation. There was evidence...
This paper aims to reveal what is the current position of gardening as a leisure activity for urb... more This paper aims to reveal what is the current position of gardening as a leisure activity for urbanites, in general and in competition with other hobbies, and how the space of the urban domestic garden is perceived in this regard. To gather data, a questionnaire survey of 302 urban domestic garden keepers was conducted. The survey took place between April 2019 and November 2019 in the capital city of Prague, Czechia, and in 8 locations in other Czech cities and towns as a control sample. The results show that the importance of outdoor relaxation in evaluating one's garden prevails, but the possibility of creating something with one's own hands, to produce own food, or to form a more beautiful place are also highly appreciated. In the perception of Czech gardeners, work and leisure often intertwine. Similarly, gardens act as a multifunctional environment, which can be changed in particular phases of the human life cycle. Since gardens were often declared as vital components for many people, it is probable that there is a future for gardening as a leisure activity, although it may be construed rather as a 'light' version of gardening, adapted to one's busy schedule and other hobbies.
The aims of this study are to provide momentum to research on homophobic prejudice in Czechia and... more The aims of this study are to provide momentum to research on homophobic prejudice in Czechia and to identify the significant factors influencing or mediating homophobic attitudes in Czech youth. The paper first contextualizes homophobia within the context of the Central and Eastern European countries and then refers to the role of schools and education tools in the prevention of homophobia. Results of a quantitative analysis based on original data collected during a research survey from 9th graders (N = 1082) in 35 selected Czech elementary schools are presented in the empirical part of the paper. We identify demographic, socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental factors that are significantly linked with homophobic attitudes in youth. Gender differences as well as relationship satisfaction with parents or peers, psychological status, and perception of quality of the environment one lives in were found to be among the most significant factors influencing prejudicial opinions in youth. Metropolitan youth were found to be significantly less prejudiced against nonheterosexuals. By taking lessons from abroad, we propose a number of possible policy interventions mainly in the realm of curricular documents and teacher training.
Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift-norwegian Journal of Geography, Oct 19, 2020
ABSTRACT The article fills the gap in the geographical literature on foraging in a Central and Ea... more ABSTRACT The article fills the gap in the geographical literature on foraging in a Central and Eastern European context. Its goals are to investigate the extent and character of foraging practice and the population of foragers in Czechia, as well as to uncover what motivates the practice of foraging for non-timber forest products. A mixed methods approach was used in the reported study, which combined the triangulation of data from official statistics, three waves of a representative data survey, and a case study of mushroom pickers in Prague, the capital city of Czechia. The results show that foraging is a widespread practice in Czechia with stable but fluctuating harvest volumes. Czechs gather mainly mushrooms and edible berries. The results also show that foraging is a traditional practice of people with different demographic characteristics and from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with a myriad of diverse motivations and connotations far from mere economic ones. Strolling outside in the fresh air and in forests is clearly a dominant motive. Thus, the author concludes that foraging in Czechia is far from being limited to livelihood strategies to tackle food insecurity.
ABSTRACT Farmers’ markets are a relatively recent phenomenon in Prague, Czechia. The first of the... more ABSTRACT Farmers’ markets are a relatively recent phenomenon in Prague, Czechia. The first of them was opened in the autumn of 2009, but the real boom started in the spring/summer of 2010. The survey introduced in this paper is concerned with the study of alternative food networks and farmers’ markets. It offers the results of methodological triangulation based on: (1) the data obtained via the questionnaire survey, (2) market organizers’ reflections on the customer structure, motivation for shopping at farmers’ markets and the question of social exclusivity of farmers’ markets in Prague as revealed in interviews, and (3) the field notes from the participant observation at the markets under study. The results show that farmers’ markets are emerging all around Prague in localities of different social status, so the poorer citizens are not necessarily excluded from the access to markets. The differences between markets, in terms of size, range of goods, and term seem to follow the inner city/hinterlands divide rather than the socio-spatial differentiation of the city. New consumer patterns clearly result from the cultural environment, specific context, and also from the different development path of the post-socialist consumer society.
Abstract Home gardens represent critical spaces in the configuration of socio-ecological landscap... more Abstract Home gardens represent critical spaces in the configuration of socio-ecological landscapes and an increasing number of local and regional governments have begun including them within their resilience strategies, local biodiversity action plans, and food or health agendas. This paper contributes to the limited literature on contemporary home gardening in the Global North with a pilot study of Czech home gardens. This study aims to: (i) reveal what is the current role of the home garden and how the gardeners themselves perceive the care of their gardens; (ii) asses what is the potential of “scaling up” home gardens to address problems on a larger scale and how the gardeners understand the potential of their contribution to urban environment. This pilot study uses data collected during a questionnaire survey of 464 home gardens in different settlement types in Czechia. The results show that home gardens may provide important amenities for individual gardeners and their families, while at the same time contributing to both intended and unintended environmental consequences at the level of whole neighbourhoods or green space in general. The scaling up of home gardens in making cities more sustainable is possible and desirable, but a strategy for communication must involve both the top-down and bottom-up approaches and tools sensitive to a variety of diverse populations who tend home gardens.
Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift - Norwegian Journal of Geography, 2020
ABSTRACT The article fills the gap in the geographical literature on foraging in a Central and Ea... more ABSTRACT The article fills the gap in the geographical literature on foraging in a Central and Eastern European context. Its goals are to investigate the extent and character of foraging practice and the population of foragers in Czechia, as well as to uncover what motivates the practice of foraging for non-timber forest products. A mixed methods approach was used in the reported study, which combined the triangulation of data from official statistics, three waves of a representative data survey, and a case study of mushroom pickers in Prague, the capital city of Czechia. The results show that foraging is a widespread practice in Czechia with stable but fluctuating harvest volumes. Czechs gather mainly mushrooms and edible berries. The results also show that foraging is a traditional practice of people with different demographic characteristics and from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with a myriad of diverse motivations and connotations far from mere economic ones. Strolling outside in the fresh air and in forests is clearly a dominant motive. Thus, the author concludes that foraging in Czechia is far from being limited to livelihood strategies to tackle food insecurity.
Abstract Home gardens represent critical spaces in the configuration of socio-ecological landscap... more Abstract Home gardens represent critical spaces in the configuration of socio-ecological landscapes and an increasing number of local and regional governments have begun including them within their resilience strategies, local biodiversity action plans, and food or health agendas. This paper contributes to the limited literature on contemporary home gardening in the Global North with a pilot study of Czech home gardens. This study aims to: (i) reveal what is the current role of the home garden and how the gardeners themselves perceive the care of their gardens; (ii) asses what is the potential of “scaling up” home gardens to address problems on a larger scale and how the gardeners understand the potential of their contribution to urban environment. This pilot study uses data collected during a questionnaire survey of 464 home gardens in different settlement types in Czechia. The results show that home gardens may provide important amenities for individual gardeners and their families, while at the same time contributing to both intended and unintended environmental consequences at the level of whole neighbourhoods or green space in general. The scaling up of home gardens in making cities more sustainable is possible and desirable, but a strategy for communication must involve both the top-down and bottom-up approaches and tools sensitive to a variety of diverse populations who tend home gardens.
This paper revisits the motivations and behaviours related to home food production in private hom... more This paper revisits the motivations and behaviours related to home food production in private home gardens. It aims to answer these research questions: (i) which activities are performed in the home garden?; (ii) if the garden fulfils the self-provisioning function, what are the motivations for food production?; (iii) does gardening and food self-provisioning impact a household’s environmental behaviour?; and (iv) does food self-provisioning relate to a household’s economic situation? The results show that production of vegetables and herbs is still the prevailing function of Czech home gardens. The motivations for this activity are better taste, healthier way of production and enjoyment of gardening as a hobby. These motivations remain mostly intact during societal transformations or economy fluctuations over recent decades, which declares the strength and tradition of home food production in Czechia. Economic motivation was not proved as an important motivation. There was evidence...
This paper aims to reveal what is the current position of gardening as a leisure activity for urb... more This paper aims to reveal what is the current position of gardening as a leisure activity for urbanites, in general and in competition with other hobbies, and how the space of the urban domestic garden is perceived in this regard. To gather data, a questionnaire survey of 302 urban domestic garden keepers was conducted. The survey took place between April 2019 and November 2019 in the capital city of Prague, Czechia, and in 8 locations in other Czech cities and towns as a control sample. The results show that the importance of outdoor relaxation in evaluating one's garden prevails, but the possibility of creating something with one's own hands, to produce own food, or to form a more beautiful place are also highly appreciated. In the perception of Czech gardeners, work and leisure often intertwine. Similarly, gardens act as a multifunctional environment, which can be changed in particular phases of the human life cycle. Since gardens were often declared as vital components for many people, it is probable that there is a future for gardening as a leisure activity, although it may be construed rather as a 'light' version of gardening, adapted to one's busy schedule and other hobbies.
The aims of this study are to provide momentum to research on homophobic prejudice in Czechia and... more The aims of this study are to provide momentum to research on homophobic prejudice in Czechia and to identify the significant factors influencing or mediating homophobic attitudes in Czech youth. The paper first contextualizes homophobia within the context of the Central and Eastern European countries and then refers to the role of schools and education tools in the prevention of homophobia. Results of a quantitative analysis based on original data collected during a research survey from 9th graders (N = 1082) in 35 selected Czech elementary schools are presented in the empirical part of the paper. We identify demographic, socioeconomic, psychological, and environmental factors that are significantly linked with homophobic attitudes in youth. Gender differences as well as relationship satisfaction with parents or peers, psychological status, and perception of quality of the environment one lives in were found to be among the most significant factors influencing prejudicial opinions in youth. Metropolitan youth were found to be significantly less prejudiced against nonheterosexuals. By taking lessons from abroad, we propose a number of possible policy interventions mainly in the realm of curricular documents and teacher training.
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