I continue to expand a critique of hierarchy as a means of calling attention to the existence of viable social structural alternatives, which have the advantage of being more responsive to environmental constraints. Current fieldwork explores the role of gardens in the transmission of cultural knowledge. There are many rationales for making gardens, ranging from practical utility to cosmic meanings. If pleasure gardens are theaters, then vernacular gardens are schools. Vernacular gardens are defined as plots in which plants are tended by hand, and which form part of the domestic economy.
Gardens play a critical role in reducing risks associated with inclement weather all over the world.
Unlike field crops, gardens shelter numerous species in special soils and under controlled microclimatic conditions. Plants receive individual attention and enable the gardener to develop an intimate understanding of soils, winds, and seasons as they relate to the garden plot. In addition to abundant produce, gardens both conserve traditional species and are filled with small experiments that yield new information. The Burgundy research area will be the site of the first field station of the UNC-CH Environmental Program. The field station will begin operation for a period of 10 weeks, beginning in the fall of 2001.