〈日本知財学会誌〉Vol. 20 No. 3― 2024 : 71 85【事例報告】-

European Experience in Sharing Foods,
Lands and Commons : Role of ICT sharing applications and human-nature relationships in era of Digital Transformationon the example of the fruit tree sharing
map mundraub
Viktoria Blaschek（Research Student at the Department of Forest Science, Graduate
School of Agriculture and Life Science The Tokyo University）【Abstract】 The sharing of resources like food and land, as a measure to improve the relationship to nature, foodproduction, local produce and identity and sustainable lifestyle have gained salience in recent years, observed in surging
numbers of relevant projects and studies. The increasing possibilities of Information and Communication Technologies(ICT) add a new dimension to the sharing dynamic. The use of digital applications due its nature expands thegeographic and social range.
This case study explains the approaches of mundraub, a digital map for fruit trees, made by citizens for citizens, withthe aim to reconnecting nature and people, rediscover, preserve and share knowledge about edible plants and create asocial network. A short introduction of other sharing projects with similar or related focus, such as food saving or land
sharing, shows the change of sharing behaviour and gives an indication of if and how future projects can implement ICT
to improve their public acceptance. To accept citizens as emerging actors for co-creating, co-managing and comonitoring of green space can result in a better acceptance and long-term existence of projects. Despite the challenges
related to organization and management, sharing services and the leverage of ICT tools can offer novel approaches tothe shared use of green space.
【Keywords】 sharing services
transformation
mundraub

1.

edible urban commons

ICT

sharing application

digitalin several studies (Ryu, Basu, and Saito 2019).

Introduction

Shar-

ing projects evolve in different ways, either bottom-up
or top-down with both requiring a strong engagement

Landscapes provide opportunities to rebuild the de-from citizens to form resilient communities.

Since

Uti-

the 1990s, the term ‘citizen science’ has been used tolizing landscape resources by sharing has been a topic

describe the participation processes of citizens in re-prived connection between humans and nature.

ISSN 1349-421X© 2024IPAJ

All rights reserved.

71

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.20 No.3― 2024

search, planning and policy-making.

Under this con-

1.1.

as emerging actors

cept, citizens are included in the development of strategies and research on various topics.

Based on two

authors, the topic is approached in two ways.

Trends in sharing dynamics with citizens

Research on commons-based resource management

Iwin

concentrated in the beginning mostly on rural areas(1995) emphasizes the collaboration and circulating ex-

with a strong focus on property and action rights

change of information and knowledge between profes-(Schlager et al. 2010).

sional scientists and citizens for the co-creation of re-

sharing projects focus on mobility and housing, but

search goals and results.

there is less extensive research on sharing food andIn the second approach of

A high number of studies on

citizen science by Bonney (1996) scientists lead theknowledge.

process while help is borrowed from citizens for re-

the potential, but their longer observation makes sci-search, for example in the form of data collection, withentists warn about the risk of commercialization of

the emphasis on awareness-raising.

sharing culture.

Both approaches

Success stories of Airbnb and Uber show

Even if participation is often

aim to gather public knowledge and promote research,

motivated by economic benefits, resource sharing also

increase educational activities and outreach to widely

has a positive impact on environmental sustainability.

disseminated research results (in Citzen Sci., 2018).

Sharing culture can contribute to stronger community

Collaboration between local governments and active

bonds and food and knowledge sharing can enhance re-citizens regarding green space development can pro-silience and sustainable systems (Blay-Palmer, Sonni-

vide ecological and social benefits.

no, and Custot 2016 ; Ryu, Basu, and Saito 2019).

The institutional

culture of local governments and specific sociocultural

Publications like ‘sharing cities’, introduce civil soci-and environmental contexts play a substantial role in

ety-initiated projects about the exchange of housing,active citizenship (Buijs et al. 2019).

mobility, food, work and energy all over the world.

The emergence of new Information and Communi-

The projects are often supported by the government

cation Technologies (ICT) brings a novel dimension ofand reflect the growing interest and influence of shar-participation into the discussion, possibly improving

ing processes on various aspects of urban life.

public support and engagement in developing projects

support the frame of geographically bounded communi-of public resources. The diversity of views and voices

ties might reduce the risk of commercial co-optation

for flexible adaptability concerning data-driven deci-(Shareable 2018).

To

sions can provide more flexible, efficient and real-time

When considering sustainable urban planning it ismanagement in urban planning (Chien, Hori, and Saito

important to factor in and include non-traditional

2022 ; Kane and Novelli 2019 ; Loukis, Charalabidis,

stakeholders like citizens as key actors for co-manage-and Millard 2012).

ment, co-design and co-monitoring of urban commons

Understanding the motivation and values of participants is important for the practitioners to create an encouraging environment.

(Chien, Hori, and Saito 2022 ; S.R. Foster and Laione2016 ; Scharf et al. 2019).

Participants of citizen sci-ence projects and sharing services value transparency

1.2.

Benefits and challenges of edible urban

about what their contribution was being used for.

commons as a physical sharing and theFeedback can be preserved as motivating and new

involvement of citizens and varieties thetechnologies may fasten such time-consuming but es-

top-down or bottom-up processes

sential processes (West, Sarah ; Pateman, Rachel ;Ostrom’s work since 1990 has directed attention to

Dyke 2016).

a different approach to the collective actions problemsof overuse or degrading shared resources, especially in72European Experience in Sharing Foods, Lands and Commons Role of ICT sharing applications and human-nature relationships in era of Digital Transformation on the example of the fruit tree sharing map mundraub

rural areas (e.g., fishing activities).

Instead of gov-

(Sardeshpande, Rupprecht, and Russo 2021).

ernment or private companies interfering and enforc-

Reflecting such trends, the newly coined term ‘edi-

ing rules to solve the problems, Ostrom raises the op-

ble city’ has been continuously gaining interest and sa-tion of community-built institutions to solve theirlience over the last two decades.

collection action problems (Ostrom 2015).

The dis-more accessible by sharing it to grow fruits, vegetables

cussion has been influencing urban commons in terms

and herbs instead of ornamental plants was meant asof resource management and self-governing institu-

an attempt to involve the citizens more in the creation

tions (S. Foster and Swiney 2021).

and encourage enhanced use.

Urban commons

Making public land

‘Edible city’ projects

are collaborative arrangements for the creation, use

can be initiated by the government, like in the case ofand management of different possible resources in an

the City of Adernach in western Germany (sinceurban context (Seravalli 2018).

2010)1 or by bottom-up initiatives like the city of Kas-

To show the foundation on which sharing services

sel in eastern Germany (since 2009)2.

Artman, Sarti-

are built on, concerning value and interest put in byson, and Vávra (2020) documented in their case study

citizens and official institutions, we will first review an

the positive impact on urban attractiveness, place at-example of such urban commons of sharing farmlands

tachment, place identity and social bonding.

in a physical form, not necessarily utilizing ICT tools.

food connections and awareness of local and pro-envi-

Public spaces, co-owned, co-governed and/or co-de-

Human-

ronmental food consumption improved throughsigned by individual citizens or communities, might ap-

observation and participation.

pear in the form of community gardens, separated by aach the issue of the low active participation of resi-

In the case of Adern-barrier or freely accessible by passer-by public

dents of〜26% (besides for recreational usage), wasgrouped fruit trees.

For example, lockdown periods

raised, possibly related to the top-down approach,during the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020 and 2021 en-

doubts regarding food safety and the motivation tocouraged the popularity of growing and harvestingleave food for people with lower income.

fresh food.

of the city to improve participation include information

The pandemic has shown how fragile theStrategies

Food-conscious

activities about urban gardening food hygiene, pollu-

urban design can emphasize a sustainable urban land-tion monitoring and societal benefits (Artmann, Sarti-

scape in the future (Partahm, S. and Abelman, J. inson, and Vávra 2020).

global food supply system actually is.

Zeuner and Waterman 2018).

Science plays an important role in addressing and in-

Additionally, as Light and Welch (2018) concluded investigating certain potential risks.

With the growing

their research ‘Aspects of growing edible plants’ (incases of urban edible landscapes, the question of food

Zeuner and Waterman 2018) that growing food ground-safety of production in urban environments becomesed people locally and globally, improved community

more prominent.

building and the connection with nature by drawing at-

the issue of food growing in potentially contaminatedtention to the seasonal circle.

environments like cities.

Urban food growing

Different studies have addressed
Especially interesting forcontributes to resilience when existing systems waver

this article are the risks of contaminated fruit- andor collapse (Barthel, Parker, and Ernstson 2015).

nut-producing trees and shrubs.

The lack of private gardens increases interest in using public parks and green spaces.

Additionally, to a

The results indicate

a lower risk for woody species to accumulate contaminants, for example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

resource of food, the educational purpose and the raiseand heavy metals, in their fruits.

However, the incon-of biodiversity, multifunctional green areas further pro-sistency of these trends and differences in contamina-

vide space for cultural and recreational activities

tion depending on location calls for more research in73

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.20 No.3― 2024

the future (Gori, Ferrini, and Fini 2019 ; Romanova

the above-noted edible urban common projects faceand Lovell 2021).

challenges like low or short-term participation.

Un-

With the limits and challenges in mind, there is mo-

der the condition that project goals and resources are

mentum in the number of participating and interested

well-defined the use of ICT can emphasize ongoing

municipalities.

Most cases of ‘edible cities’ describe

a network of individuals or organizations, to some ex-participation and support (Wiggins 2010).

Worldwide

scientific cooperation can profit from ICT to exchange

tent supported by governmental instances, dedicatedinformation faster and address problems like food se-

to promoting urban agriculture, permaculture and edi-

curity and development more expediently (McLaren etble landscapes.

al. 2009).

The goals are to utilize green spacein the city, to emphasize community and identity build-

As summed up in the Fig. 1 the sharing dynamics

As resi-change with the emergence of sharing services, espe-

dents become key actors in urban development

cially under the implementation of ICT tools like web-through participation and self-organization, social resil-

sites and applications expanding the range and amountience increases (Scharf et al. 2019).

of exchange.

ing and to educate about food production.

Initiatives such

Sharing projects on a bigger scale likeas the ‘Edible City Network’, funded by the EU, con-the former mentioned, have the potential to mitigate

nect existing edible city projects around the world andissues like food waste, nature detachment and in the

support them with creating and implementing newcase of shared land also maintenance costs by the

3

projects .

That undermines the potential for sustain-

government.

Utilizing the potential of sharing servic-

able urban development (Artmann, Sartison, and Vávra

es can strengthen social communities and improve2020).

food security and self-sufficiency to a certain extent(Artmann, Sartison, and Vávra 2020 ; Davies and Ev-

1.3.

1.3.1.

Additional dimension of sharing throughans 2019 ; McL aren et al. 2009 ; Romanova andInformation and Communication

Lovell 2021 ; Sardeshpande, Rupprecht, and Russo

Technologies (ICT)2021 ; Shareable 2018).

Recent Trends

ICTs may be useful to support projects or even be-

In recent years Information and Communication

come a core of services depending on the shared
The service of mundraub is such an exam-

Technologies (ICT) filled gaps and expanded the reachcontent.

and possibilities of what can be shared, how and withple of ICT.

whom, unrestricted by kinship, family or geographicalthe influence of services becomes more significant.

boundaries (Davies and Evans 2019).
Online applications make life in the city moreconvenient.

For example, food delivery apps have in-

As reaching a wider audience increased,

Community-driven data collections provide easy access to shared knowledge and have the potential toconnect people over geographical and social

creased, especially as a result of the social distancing

boundaries.

caused by Covid-19 Pandemic (Selvan and Andrew

ogies allow new projects to develop quickly and to2021).

learn from the experiences of others.

An unfortunate consequence is the increased

Open-source software and new technolOne remaining

distance from food production and natural resources

issue is the quality of shared data or knowledge, theand a negative impact on health (Stephens, Miller, andownership of the data and how it can contribute to sci-

Militello 2020).

entific research.

The rise of ICT brought up critics, yet there are also
potential positive aspects.

Existing projects to en-

courage citizens to engage with their environment like74

The increasing possibilities of ICTchange the way we share and the way researchers cangain and work with data.

Overall, ICT may empower

citizens to take more active roles in the development

European Experience in Sharing Foods, Lands and Commons Role of ICT sharing applications and human-nature relationships in era of Digital Transformation on the example of the fruit tree sharing map mundraub

Fig. 1

Conceptual diagram that shows how sharing dynamics change when services and projects
are implemented and how the additional dimension of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) influences of sharing activity and the possible benefits.
PERSONsirect sharing of food,
good, lamd, informationetc.

PERSON  waste (food or fruits)potential
reduction

Government
Scientists initiate

Sharing
services /projects

Citizens

potential
increaseshare a tool preﬁlled withprofessional knowledge
and crowd sourced dataPERSONPERSONPERSONlearn from collected data
to improve strategies andthe tool

maintainance costs
detachement of naturesocial community
food security
self uuﬃciency

PERSONICTPERSONApps, Websites
etc.

PERSONsharing of food, good, land, information
etc. without physical or social restrictionsof governmental or scientific activities (McLaren et al.

owners consent also on private properties.

2009).

of ICT and volunteer engagements adds a novel dimen-

1.3.2.

The useObjectives : Fruit tree location service

sion to sharing services, as it allows the implementa-

that leverages ICT to improve thetion and display of crowd-collected data.

relationship between nature and people

is shared over different social cultures and classes byover the topic of food sourcing

appealing to the human instinct for food foraging.

A case of an online fruit tree is introduced as an ex-

Information

The following projects indicate how technology

In thechanges sharing behaviour and the role transformation

coming explanation of the service, when using theof the involved citizens, businesses, scientists, or theterm mundraub, it includes the website and applica-

government.

ample of a community-driven sharing service.

tions with access to the map and all other project-re-

The choice to introduce this bottom-up initiative islated activities that are displayed on the digitalmade to show the potential of self-organizing citizens

appearances.

and the value of nature involving sharing services,

The service enables citizens to share locations offorageable fruit trees, mainly on public land or with theseen in strong resonance with individuals and official
bodies.
75

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.20 No.3― 2024

2.

Conversion of physical locationand digital information : Case of
the fruit tree map mundraub

enter locations, upload pictures and add information to
the application without fees.

Citizens’ voluntary ef-

forts are essential in data collection and correction.
To date, over 50.000 fruit trees are registered, mainly
located in the German-speaking part of Europe.

2.1.

Introduction

The

initial motivation of the founders was to share the posi-

mundraub was founded in 2009 by citizens, accessi-

tive experience of retrieving and eating the self-har-ble over the website mundraub.org and the free mobile

vested fruits.

application called Mundraub Navigator (Android) andzation with the goals of strengthening the community,

integrated into the Zero Waste app (iOS).

Users areincreasing awareness of regionality and seasonality andenabled to identify locations of fruit trees and other ed-reconnecting people and nature, mainly financed overible plants, on public land, or shared by the private

donations.

owner themselves for others to harvest.
Once an account is created, the registered person can

The idea grew into a non-profit organi-

Besides the map service, the website offers information on fruit refinement, how to collect with less risk of

Fig. 2‘Mundraub Navigator’application on android, showing marked fruit trees and the most common
species (to choose on the left) and an example of how users can add plants including pictureand description where to find.

76

European Experience in Sharing Foods, Lands and Commons Role of ICT sharing applications and human-nature relationships in era of Digital Transformation on the example of the fruit tree sharing map mundraub

food poisoning, and plant varieties as well.

Further-

fruits, herbs and other plant parts in small amounts in

more, the platform organizes educational programs

spots that are not prohibited to enter.8(e.g.,’Streuobstpädagoge’) and collecting tours.

other German-speaking country where the app is

The

Austria (an-organizers also published books on wild fruits and how

widely in use) has a similar situation and illegal appro-

to identify and use them.4,5

priation of low-value soil products is not punishable byThese are examples of

two-way communication of the applications where citizens are not a passive receiver of information but anactive transmitter of knowledge sharing.

The website

the courts.9
Rules displayed on the mundraub website enable
help with a low-conflict harvesting experience.

The

also offers to integrate parts of their mundraub map

rules should provide a basis for using the app andinto other websites after placing and confirming a re-physical resources (the fruit trees) with as little con-quest.

flict as possible.

A collaborating network with communal govern-

These are supported by the German

Lawyers’ Information Centre.

The following rules

ments named ‘wir sind essbar’ (we are edible) inte-

are originally written in German using a personal style,grates municipal tree cadastre data into the mundraub

as transmitted in the following translation.

map.

The organization advises and supports munici-

palities with the conception, realization and preservation of edible landscapes.

Displayed on the website

The short version of the mundraub-Rules are as follows :1. Make sure no property rights are violated before

and supporting them with their own media presence

you enter a location.

about their contributions to the edible landscapegrounds and not in a protected area.

experience.

port a tree that they think is questionable and it’s ev-

Additionally, to consulting, educational

actions are also offered.

6

For food safety issues, the website mundraub.org
provides access to scientific research about the con-

They should be on public(Users can re-erybody’s responsibility to delete or check theirmarked trees.)
2.

Treat the trees, the surrounding nature and thetamination of city-grown food, which show less risk ofanimals inhabiting the area with care.

Respectful be-contamination in fruit-bearing trees and shrubs and inhaviour to provide the health and longevity of the treessome cases, even higher contamination in supermarket

and the harvesting people’s safety.

fruits and vegetables for example, lead in apples andsonal use is permitted, while for larger-style harvest

plums (Säumel 2013).

for commercial use needs an official license.

Foraging for perLeave

fruits for the wildlife.
2.2.

Legal conditions and voluntaryagreements

As the website is built on the sharing principle,

do not claim ownership over the plants you map andOriginally, the name (‘mund’=mouth, ‘raub’ = robbery) refers to theft that was legally not prosecuted
until around 1975.

3.

continue to share locations.
4. Engage in the care and replanting of fruit trees.10

The condition was that the rob-

bery of food from fruiting plants or even markets hap-

2.3.

Finding

pened because of hunger, for immediate consumption,

In summary, mundraub was solely developed andand limited to small quantities of insignificant value.7

upheld by volunteers without the help of scientific or

Even though the original paragraph is no longer inuse, the present legal situation in Germany still fa-

governmental institutions.

At present state, it is a

non-profit organization mainly supported by donations.

vored the development and usage of the sharing

The ongoing attention noticeable by the still-growing

application.

numbers of participants and expansion into some areas

German law tolerates the harvest of77

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.20 No.3― 2024

The company Too Good To Go,

of governmental management, shows the interest of

free applications.

citizens in using the option of harvesting and engaging

founded in 2015 in Denmark, is a business-to-consum-with public fruit plants.

Within the legal challenges

er (B2C) model where the consumer buys a surpriseand the complexity of the legal aspects, the system isbag on the online application for a reduced price of-solely built on trust without any regulating or control-

fered by stores and restaurants to reduce food waste.13

ling instances.

Foodsharing.de on the other hand was built by citizens

In the following chapters, other sharing services will

(2012, Germany) and works with a peer-to-peer dy-

be introduced to give a better understanding of thenamic (P2P) and also with the possibility of no directmodel mundraub.

contact of users at all.

The map is reached over thewebsite, showing a collection of locations, where users

3.

Other sharing projects and theirleverage of ICT to share plant locations, food, or with the aim toform sustainable and resilient
communities

can pick up from stores rescued or leftover food.
Members of the community do voluntary work to pickup food at cooperating businesses to place them at official food stations and update the station belonging profile about the newly brought food.

Additionally, theirwebsite offers educational material, information andworkshops about topics related to reducing food

The list here is not exhaustive, but certain recent
services with the sharing theme are outlined.

The

criteria were based on their relation to the mundraub

waste.14‘Foodsharing Cities’ is an expanded move-

ment to connect cities and civil society with the public
sector.15

project, for example in the location of development orServices like ‘Garteln ums Eck’ on the other handsimilar aim to reconnect people with nature and build

have a very passive internet appearance and work withsustainable and resilient communities and with a sub-physical interaction and labor.

stantial contribution of citizens.

(=Gardening around the corner), initiated by the city

The above listing of sharing services gives just a‘Garteln ums Eck’of Vienna, shares public urban green space for private

small insight into what can be shared, how it’s orga-

use.

nized and to what extent ICT is leveraged.

Certaination and maintenance of small spaces under city trees.

services are exclusively digital, while the mundraub

To complete the organization, the citizen signs a design

project connects digital communities and informationagreement, to stay within the set of rules about whatwith the physical land and action of harvest.

The

they are permitted to plant or to build. The land stays

project fallingfruit.org, which originated in the US, isin possession of the city, which also retains the right tobased on similar motivations as mundraub and started

enter the area and interfere if required.16

as an open-source map, launched in 2013 and filled

to information from official representatives of the areawith edible plants in cities around the globe to encour-managers, around 1800 tree patches of land are cur-age urban foraging.

rently maintained by residents.

Plant inventories from govern-

Citizens are encouraged to engage in the cre-

Accordingments and universities are inserted on the map, but

The Application Flora Incognita for identifying plantalso private users can add locations and information.11 12

species is an example of how ICT is used to effectively

The two listed services to the topic of food rescue

communicate educational content on environmental

show in their display similarities to mundraub andtopics especially to young adults and involve users inhave a similar goal to reduce food waste. Both display

the process of continuous improvement of content andfood locations on a map, visible to individual user of thetechnology.

78

The Project involved an interdisciplinaryGarteln ums Eck

2013

2013

Baumkataster WienLANDSHARE

2006

itreetools.org

URBAN TREE

floraicognita.de

2010(2018Apprelease)2015

Too Good To Go
app

PLANT IDENTITY

2012

foodsharing.de

FOOD RESCUE

Sharing Dynamics

Interactive map listing public orchards,
food forests, fruit trees in cities, fields
and other neighbourhoods. Imports data
set from other foraging maps and is open
to edit, download and develop.

Digital data and code of the map is openly
shared. Information about forageable plants
is shared through the digital app

People to people, government to people

Interactive map on App in which users People to people, government to people
mark the locations of fruit-bearing trees
and other edible plants for others to find Digital information on physical location ofand harvest. Also organizes events and physical products and action
educates people.

Characteristic

Digital tool for sharing information on physicaltrees without suggested interaction.

People to people, Scientists to people andvice-versa

Online map from the City of Vienna, where Government to people and companies
locations, species and additional
information of city trees can be accessed. Digital information on location without
suggested interaction with physical object.

Software suite from the USDA Forest
Service that provides urban and ruralforestry analysis and beneficial
assessment tools. Tool to report onindividual urban trees and to marklocations in parcels, neighbourhoods,
cities and states.

App to identify plant species by taking Science to People (APP), People to sciencep i c t u r e s o f t h e i r f e a t u r e s u s i n g K I (pictures database)technology and crowd sourced data.
Offers information and the possibility to Digital information on plant species.
export maps with findings.

Businesses put left over food from the Companies to people (customers)
day online on the app in form of surprisebags. Costumers pay a reduced price Digital information on location for physicalonline before picking it up.
location for pick up～ 1 800 agreements City council organized free personal use Government to people
signed between citizens of public green spaces (under trees) forand city (2023)
citizens. Project explained on the official Physical location and action
website.

～ 200.000 treelocations marked～ 1 Mio. downloads(Google Play)～ 16.000 plant species
registered～ 10 Mio. downloads(Google Play)～ 1300 sharing places Website with map where users can find People to people, companies to people
for food storage and storage locations of leftover food filled byexchange
volunteers, which bring it from their Digital information on location for physicalplaces or from or companies.
location for pick up～ 2 Mio. visitors. on thewebsite～ 1,5 Mio. registered
fruit trees

2013

fallingfruit.org～ 50.000 registered
fruit trees～ 100.000 downloadsof the app

2009

Numbersmundraub.org
andMundraub Navigator andZero Waste applications

mundraub

Since

Short overview of a selection of free sharing service with that share locations, food, land and knowledge.

FRUIT TREESNameTable 1

European Experience in Sharing Foods, Lands and Commons Role of ICT sharing applications and human-nature relationships in era of Digital Transformation on the example of the fruit tree sharing map mundraub79

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.20 No.3― 2024

Fig. 3

Application Flora Incognita to identify plant species by taking photos of the visual features likeflower, leaf and whole plant habitus, saving found plants and sharing knowledge about species
like taxonomy and occurrence.

team from the specialist areas of computer science,increased.

physics and media sciences and is financed by govern-

law and therefore also not accepted as replacement

ment and university.

trees.18

The app involves automatedlearning and citizen science (crowd-sourced data) intending to transfer traditional plant vocabulary into the

Fruit trees that are not included in thisIt was integrated into this list to show the opportunity for citizens to learn more about their city trees.

For this purpose, the Flora Capture App

Shown in the summary above, mundraub combines

was developed to create a digital herbarium to achieve

physical and digital sharing and utilizes the opportunity

the large number of images needed to train the deepof ICT by providing access to the service from thelearning algorithm to automatically identify plants.

website and the application. In none of the mentioned

2020, more than 200.000 images have been collected

services does the ownership and associated rights ofby thousands of users since 2016 (Boho et al. 2020).

land or the harvestable plant change.

In the case of Flora Incognita no physical product or la-place of activity is shared, but not the ownership.

bor, but knowledge is shared on a digital level.

Saved

Citizens are not necessarily only recipients of the shar-species can be exported on maps and used for projects

ing services, but also voluntarily contribute informa-or research.

digital age.

Products or

The data can be used for example to as-tion or actions in the form of uploading locations andsess climate change by monitoring plant phenology

pictures (e.g., mundraub, Flora Incognita) or creating(Katal et al. 2023).

appealing green space (e.g., ‘Garteln ums Eck’).

In

The ‘Baumkataster Wien’, the map of city trees insome cases, the exchange relies on the goodwill of theVienna, differs from the other introduced services as it

users (e.g., mundraub, foodsharing.de) and in others it

is initiated and maintained by the government.17 The

is regulated by city management (e.g.,‘Garteln ums

city of Vienna prohibits the felling of trees without anEck’) or rules and terms fixated by the business own-

application that has been reviewed and approved by of-ers (e.g., Too Good To Go).

Depending on the size and state of theFig. 4 gives an overview of the introduced sharing

felled tree, the number of replacement trees isservices and allows an easier comparison with the caseficial bodies.

80European Experience in Sharing Foods, Lands and Commons Role of ICT sharing applications and human-nature relationships in era of Digital Transformation on the example of the fruit tree sharing map mundraub

Fig. 4Characteristics and dynamics of the former introduced sharing services.
    Harvestlocation,
Information

Harvestlocation,
Information

Foodlocations

CITIZENS

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dated thanks to ICT and usable by specialists and anyother interested person or group.

Discussion

ICT can be applied to engage non-traditional stakeholders (such as citizens) as a resource like in the ex-

4.1.

When does ICT enrich or improve aample of the Flora Capture App collecting over 200.000

sharing project?

plant images uploaded by citizens to help with the de-In the introduction, the question was posed ‘Whatvelopment of the Flora Incognita App (Boho et al.

can ICT contribute to the development of sharing ser-2020).

vices and sustainable community development?’

public support and engagement, diversity of views andIn short, the answer largely depends on factors likeEngaging users in policy-making increases

voices for flexible adaption for data-driven decisions

intended target groups and the geographic range of the(Chien, Hori, and Saito 2022).

project.

zens invest extensive time, energy and resources in

Local services like the land sharing project‘Garteln ums Eck’ use ICT to a limited extent.

The

service is directed towards local citizens, who want to

It is to notice how citi-

research supported by new technologies (Bonney etal., 2014 in Citzen Sci., 2018).

physically engage with their close surroundings to improve their quality of life as stated by the official re-

4.2.

Sharing and participation dynamics andtheir challenges and limitations

sponsible bodies.
Sharing services or projects differ depending on the
dynamic of how things or information are shared andWhat enabled the mundraub project to be more
long-lasting than other services?

Compared to simi-

The services mundraub and foodshar-lar, yet unsustainable projects, mundraub has estab-ing.de have a people-to-people dynamic, with the ICT

lished its value for approximately 14 years to this dateas a mediator in between, like a book that is sent backand continues to develop, as we can see in the collabo-

The service Too

ration with government and educational systems.

Good To Go has a business-to-consumer relationship

Successful applications have shown that the existencethat only enables location and money exchange onlineof a gap between physical shareable common spaces

before food is exchanged physically at a later date.

and products (including the fruits from fruit trees) andAnother dynamic comes from projects like Flora Incog-

the interest of people in participating in building com-nita where the shared information is based on profes-

munities, that make use of these resources and offer

sional scientific knowledge, enriched by crowd-sourced

data, knowledge and even physical participation is nec-

data from citizens to be combined and constantly up-

essary for long term growth.

the audience.

and forth, written by both sides.

Some of which are cov81

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.20 No.3― 2024

Edible urban common programs like ‘Edible Cities’

ered in this work.
The named and other projects, built on community
engagement, are characterized by existing as an ongo-

encourage a different approach, a perspective of urban
landscape shaping/design.

The implementation ofThis

productive landscapes into cities can become an essen-means that the further success and existence of thetial element of sustainable urban infrastructure (Par-project relies on proper management.

To establish

ham, S. and Abelman, J. in Zeuner & Waterman, 2018).

urban communes over the initial phase into long-term

Cooperative projects all around the world between citi-

projects, former arrangements have to be able to bezens, organizations and officials underline that govern-

remodeled and reworked according to the development

ments are acknowledging the value of these initiatives

and unexpected actions as shown by Seravalli (2018) in

to improve the image of the area and the quality of life

her case study about infrastructure in urban commons.

(Rut and Davies 2018 ; Shareable 2018).

Design and management of common space offer theban commons projects like ‘edible cities’ and public

opportunity for citizen participation to enable more

fruit tree forage-encouraging apps like mundraub, relysustainable and liveable urban spaces.

on, due to the complexity of the legal aspects, theing process rather than a stable arrangement.

Urban gover-

Edible ur-nance, that wants to utilize citizens’ potential, should

goodwill of the participants.

consider the temporal and fallible nature of the partici-

ten and posted, but enforcement is not regulated andpation and build a well-organized structure, with op-

the system relies on trust in responsible behaviour

tions for reworking arrangements, that supports trans-

from each participating individual.

parency of decision-making and accountability in theseco-designing projects.

For a sustainable operation,

5.

Rules of use can be writ-

Conclusiontransparency and clear distribution of tasks and responsibility is essential (Seravalli, 2018).

The initial dimension of the citizen involvement is,

Doubts regarding food safety can limit participation
in food foraging projects like mundraub.

Transparen-

as with many other contexts, primarily providing the
primary data including tree locations (mundraub) or

cy is a key factor in building trust in consuming urban-

plant pictures (Flora Incognita).

grown fruits.

the applications went beyond these.

Science and Policy have started to ad-

In the further phase,
In developing

dress the issue shown on studies on the contamination

similar services or projects involving citizen sciences,of food grown in urban environments.

they need to attract and retain participants besides ini-

As the location

is essential, initiators of urban food growing projects
are encouraged to analyze their local conditions to re-tiating a platform.
Approachable and practical topics encourage interest

assure participating and interested parties (Gori, Ferri-and long-term engagement.

ni, and Fini 2019 ; Romanova and Lovell 2021).

provement of the ability to forage food in nature, for

As an example, the im-

The mundraub project showcases the role of citi-

survival, family bonding and reawakening childhood

zens when it comes to food and knowledge sharing.

memories are relatable to a wider interest group and

By engaging residents as active participants in datasatisfy curiosity.

collection, research and sharing, communities are em-

aging understanding of the nature surrounding us, withpowered to shape sustainable and resilient environ-the help of online educational identification tools, inments.

turn raising interest in nature.

Ryu et al. mentioned the inclusion of data

These are made possible by encour-

provided by non-academic sources like websites may

For example, ‘Fruit picking’ in Japan is mainly asso-

provide a better understanding of how and what we

ciated with a social outgoing at a farm where you pay

share (Ryu, Basu, and Saito 2019).

for the amount you harvest and bring for home82

European Experience in Sharing Foods, Lands and Commons Role of ICT sharing applications and human-nature relationships in era of Digital Transformation on the example of the fruit tree sharing map mundraub

consumption.

The system is organized with the own-

newly emerging actors in co-creating and co-managing

There aretheir surroundings, it strengthens the local community,

different kinds of challenges to overcome compared toleading to more resilience and well-being within. The

ership and rules of usage clearly defined.

European models regarding the attraction of partici-

leverage of ICT tools, enables us to learn from strang-

pants due to different societal perspectives anders while still having the feeling of closeness and be-

expectations.

longing to a community united by the same ideals andFuture research should factor in users’

correlation to the trustworthiness of the service andmotivation.

what the user perceives as encouraging in different

ICT in the form of online application apps takes oncultural and local locations, perceptions and customs.

not just the role of mediator between people but also

With a stronger consideration of citizens-including de-nature and people.

sign processes of public space, the role of experts (e.g.,

data sources enables citizens to interact with their sur-planner and scientists) often becomes a supportive, in-roundings and learn more about them, supported by anstead of a leading role.

easy-to-use interface and filled with information col-Another factor for a successful project is the trans-

The availability of large portablelected and curated by specialists and citizens, all acces-

parent communication between specialists andsible through their smartphones.

participants.

The introduced apps have the advantag-

be used over online applications like mundraub or Flo-es, that they openly present what the contributed datara Incognita encourage people to go outside and ex-

is used for.

plore.

The use of digital media enables the user

to directly see the result of their engagement, which
has a motivating effect for future contributions.
The integration of ICT into the sharing dynamics
changed how rather than what we share.

Services that can

For all the advantages, sharing projects and ICT
tools can bring to society and planning processes, it isstill important to be aware of their short-lived charac-

Instead ofteristics unless specific considerations are given.

communicating directly with neighbours, family or

Knowing the factors could lead to more realistic plan-

friends about things or knowledge to share, strangers,

ning and strategy development if one intends to evolve

possibly physically distant, become the source of infor-

the apps into long-term projects. Started as a citizen-

mation about locations and of knowledge.

made online map, mundraub has existed for over a de-

A challengeof sharing through digital media, for example, the ab-cade and continues to gain popularity.

sence of a visible person might decrease the feeling ofmunicipals and educational services added new topics

trustworthiness.

and showed how these bottom-up initiatives can ex-

A functioning community could

Projects withfunction as a replacement for the personal contact andpand and survive.

relationships.

transparency of decisions, rules and management andOther beneficial attributes are

ICT tools shorten the gap between the provider andthe acknowledgment of, and reaction to worries likeuser of physical elements, including fruits andfood safety, for example by adding research results toknowledge.

the website.

They can play an important role in pre-serving or rediscovering knowledge about commonly

A large community including officials and research-

unknown local food sources and help build a communi-

ers gives sharing services more opportunities to workty beyond geographical boundaries.

Maps whereout upcoming questions but also creates challenges.

plants are also marked on private land can improve

Crowd-sourced data with minimal or no review levels

communication in communities by encouraging people

are vulnerable to errors.

to talk to each other if the trees were marked with themisuse and misinformation enables the preparation ofowner’s consent.

countermeasures.

When Citizens are involved as

Awareness about the risk ofMany of these apps encourage83

〈日本知財学会誌〉 Vol.20 No.3― 2024

their users to correct mistakes if noticed.

It’s a nev-

er-ending project and in constant correction andexpansion.
There are successful services that are encouraging
people to build communities and rediscover relationships with nature.

With mutual goals and trust, care-

ful management and transparency between the people
and the city officials, these projects and applications
can help people to live lives closer to and with nature.
Notes
1 https://www.andernach.de/stadt/essbare-stadt/ 202309-01
2 https://essbare-stadt.de/wp/ 2023-09-01
3 https://www.edicitnet.com/de/ 2023-09-01
4 https://mundraub.org/sites/default/files/2017-08/
2017-08_Freiraumgestalter_Interview_Kai.pdf 2023-1003
5 https://mundraub.org/%C3%BCber-uns 2023-11-23
6 https://wir-sind-essbar.org/staedte_regionen/ 2023-1003
7 § 370 Nr. 5 StGB Deutsches Strafgesetzbuch https://lexetius.com/StGB/370,1 2023-08-24
8 § 39 BNatSchG Deutsches Gesetz über Natur undLandschaftspflege https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bnatschg_2009/_39.html 2023-08-29
9 §141(4) StGb Österreichisches Strafgesetzbuch
https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/bgbl/1974/60/P141/
NOR40114222 2023-10-03
10 https://mundraub.org/mundraeuber-regeln/ 2023-08-28
11 https://fallingfruit.org/?c=forager%2Cfreegan&locale=en2023-11-16
12 https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/falling-fruit-ur
ban-foraging-map 2023-11-16
13 https://www.toogoodtogo.com/ 2023-10-03
14 https://foodsharing.de/ 2023-10-03
15 https://foodsharing-staedte.org/de 2023-10-03
16 https://www.gbstern.at/themen-projekte/urbanes-garteln/garteln-ums-eck/ 2023-10-03
17 h t t p s:/ / w w w . w i e n . g v . a t / u m w e l t g u t / p u b l i c / g r a f i k .
aspx?ThemePage=11 2023-10-03
18 https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=LrW&Gesetzesnummer=20000294 2023-08-17
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