Crop Swap

Crop swaps are a produce-sharing event held within a local community. The premise is to "give with generosity and take mindfully". Money is not involved; it is purely an exchange of produce and garden or food-related resources. It is a voluntary run initiative whereby communities in an area meet monthly. Crop swaps take advantage of both the excess produce gardeners have and the generosity of people willing to exchange or gift this surplus. With the organiser of Crop Swap New Zealand based in Taranaki, there are ten active swaps, which is substantially more than the rest of the country.

The two small townships of Waitoriki and Inglewood lying to the north of the region are predominantly surrounded by rural dairy farms and have a combined population of around 5,600 people. Their crop swap is held on the last Saturday of each month and attracts various age groups. These regular gatherings create a social opportunity for interaction and engagement with others.

Jane, the Swap Guardian, as the coordinator is referred to, calls the group to order, and a selection of community notices are shared. She introduces our PIVOT project team, and I give a little speech about my thesis research. I can feel the energy in the room rising, and I know it is time for Jane to let the action begin. Once the bell is rung, people are off. The pace is fast and furious. This is not a bartered negotiation – my lemon for your orange. You may help yourself to a portion of the produce, a seedling, or a cutting or two from the pile by contributing produce to the table before the swap begins.

One swapper, known as ‘Leek Man', considers the nature of his local community. He explains that many residents would have previously come from large farms with extensive vegetable gardens can't always keep that up anymore, "I really like the idea of paying back something to them. So, I grow an excess, and always bring it in because people will like that… it engenders goodwill".

I spoke to swappers who are growing and sharing produce from their homelands. They are sharing how to appreciate different produce and customary food practices or rituals. One woman says, "we tend to grow things we can't get at the supermarket: we're looking for more diverse foods – chances for heritage seed and plants and things". Another couple explains, "We're wanting to grow things that you can't get in the supermarket. My husband's Italian-American. He likes arugula and chicory. Not everything is readily available, so that's a big thing for us, to have available what we, you know, choose to use".

Tensions can exist when managing practices of mindful receiving and negotiating shared values. Rules and organisation can destabilise social dynamics. Jane tells me a couple who turned up to the crop swap I attended were helping themselves but had not brought anything to share. Jane handles these situations on a case-by-case basis and with a great deal of discretion. She either explains the crop swap concept or turns a blind eye if she feels there is a need for food. This makes me think about who is not being included in this practice of swapping food. While everyone is welcome here, who may not feel they can come? What practices are exclusionary? If someone has nothing to swap, do they miss out?

Within 10 minutes of the bell ringing at the start of the swap, everything is gone. The entire set-up, swap, and clean up take about one hour in total. People have claimed produce, chosen their magazines and seeds, taken that bundle of kindling, and one little girl proudly procured the plant she had had her hands cupped around since Jane began her introductory speech. I notice a swapper who sees someone claim one of their seedlings quickly dash over to the new owner to give them tips on how this plant grows in Inglewood. I hear people laughing and catching up on local news. Kids are running between tables just as fast as the tables are being folded down and put away. Someone has a giant broom, and the hall is swept out.

The donation collected upon entry will be forwarded to the hall committee. Jane tells me it is being used to fix windows, paint exterior frames, and contribute towards a new kitchen, "this is the centre of the community, and the school uses it a lot, but it used to be really run down. [We've put a] new roof on… I mean, a lot of money is being put into it, so they [school community] say it's a by-product of the swapping".

What people have taken is not going to keep them provisioned till next month, so I am curious as to why people participate, and I start chatting to several people as they leave the hall about what they have swapped today and why they come.

The most frequent reply to my question of why people come is to share with others. Ostensibly this is produce and resources, but what I realise is that they are sharing friendship and knowledge too. Moreover, perhaps it is a place for some to come specifically to feel connected and catch up with other people in a social setting. The ritualised habit of monthly swap cycles creates a rhythm in the community. One of the swappers says, "it's a very social event… and we have a shared meal at the end of the year between Christmas and New Year".

Shonagh, from a rural location nearby, invited the PIVOT project team back to her large property after the crop swap. Shonagh shares here property with chickens, ducks, geese, herbs and countless plants, fruit, and vegetables. She told us how this group of crop swappers managed during COVID-19. Many were entirely self-sufficient or could be, through the connections made at crop swap. Eggs and milk were contactlessly delivered or made available. The practice of crop swapping is about an action of caring through reciprocity.