“Thank you so much for such a beautiful, thought provoking, well structured and informative course! Have absolutely loved this learning experience and it has sparked so much curiosity and passion in me for future learning!”
Jade Morris Learn about
people and plants,
people and plants,
People and plants, a course in ethnobotany
* NEXT COURSE STARTS WEDNESDAY 1 OCT 2025, 8PM CET / 7PM GMT
Are you a plant lover, herbalist, educator or scientist? Do you want to learn about the ingenuity of the plant world, and how different human cultures relate to plants? Then this course is for you!
The study of ethnobotany helps us understand how people in different cultures relate to plants for their survival, their health, wellbeing and meaning making. Understanding the diversity of human cultures and their relationship with the plant world, can help us repair our relationship with nature.
This course is based on the MSc ethnobotany at the University of Kent, the first of its kind in the world and the only graduate course in Europe. The lessons are accessible to anyone with curiosity for people and plants, there will be weekly creative and exploratory projects and space for your questions. Start learning today about people, plants and human cultures, the study and research methods of ethnobotany, indigenous wisdom and traditional knowledge!
Course investment £149
* 5% of your investment will be donated to nonprofit Allianza Arkana
** If you are keen to join the course but the price is stopping you, please contact me to discuss options.
Edith Adjako, of Maroon descend, shows how her female ancestors hid rice grains in their hair.
Did you know that vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is a tropical orchid that climbs on trees?
The Shipibo Konibo, indigenous to the Peruvian Amazon, use many plants with special healing powers.
The curriculum for this course
Every lesson includes optional reading, viewing or listening material, and a small creative or research project for you to engage with the topics.
I. People and Environment
In this lesson we will see how human cultures change the environment they live in. And vice versa, how the environment influences culture. The environment includes the climate, the ecosystem, and the local plants and animals. We will review historical, political, spiritual and social relationships with the environment. These are all aspects of ‘biocultural diversity’, the direct connection between biodiversity, human cultures and languages. Biocultural diversity and the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of human cultures represents the diversity of the world and can provide us with many solutions to return to sustainable living.
II. People and Plants
In which ways do humans use plants to meet their needs? We will delve into the core of ethnobotany, the relationship between human cultures and plants. We will start to see the many ways plants play a role in our own lives and review the idea of ‘plant blindness’, the inability to see how important plants are for us. We will learn about the study of ethnobotany, the 4 phases of ethnobotany and the role of traditional knowledge and ethics throughout these phases. Where does ethnobotany stand today?
III. Foundations of Botany
You are invited to learn more about the plants around you. Your weekly project will have already given you a sense of plant parts and botany basics. We will review the history of botany and its status today. We will learn how to organise and make sense of the vast plant world by introducing the basics of plant taxonomy and classification. And we will briefly explore the main plant parts: roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits as well as resources to keep you learning.
IV. Ethnobotanical Research
Course participants will present a so called ethnobotanical plant profile of their favourite plant. We will cover guidelines for ethical research in ethnobotany, such as the ISE Code of Ethics and the Nagoya Protocol. I will offer a high level overview of some the main ethnobotanical research methods and we will practice with a short freelisting exercise.
V. Plant Intelligence, a New Paradigm
In this last lesson I share about my thesis research of the Amazonian medicine plant ‘piripiri’ (Cyperus spp.) and the many magical uses among the indigenous Shipibo Konibo in the Peruvian Amazon from literature and fieldwork by Marcos Urquía Maynas. How do we view plants in indigenous and Western cultures? We will review the latest research in plant intelligence in Western science; communication, senses, memory, kin relations. How can we return to a reciprocal relationship with the plant world?
Course format
- Weekly 90-minute, online and interactive lessons
- Includes handouts of presentations
- Weekly mini project to deepen your learning (1-2 hours)
- Extensive list of resources provided to dive deeper
Course dates
The next course will take place on Thursday evenings in February
Time: 8pm CET | 7pm GMT | 2pm EDT
I. Wed, Oct 1, 8pm – 9:30pm CET
II. Wed, Oct 8, 8pm – 9:30pm CET
III. Wed, Oct 15, 8pm – 9:30pm CET
IV. Wed, Oct 22, 8pm – 9:30pm CET
V. Wed, Oct 29, 8pm – 9:30pm CET
About me
My name is Inge Kuijper, ethnobotanist, educator and designer. For many years I have pursued the question ‘how can we live in harmony with nature’?
In my search, I have returned to academia and completed the fascinating Ethnobotany MSc program at the University of Kent, England which is partnered with Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, London. For my thesis I researched the significance of the plant medicine piripiri (Cyperus articulatus) for the Shipibo Konibo in Peru, which started to reveal to me what plants can teach us. During my studies I started teaching about People and Plants at the Volksuniversiteit Amsterdam and I have since continued to teach independently as well.
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