Research, conservation, and education on plants
The Mandragora Foundation was born with an aim to preserve, share and develop knowledge. We want to work on the connections between information, our society, and plants with properties that can play an intimate role in the relationship we have with the living world they represent.
Knowledge can arise from different forms of understanding, different disciplines and cultures, different experiences and views. Future depends on our capability to learn how these views may not be contradictory, but complementary; our mission is to facilitate that learning.
Learning about plants
Thanks to donations, through acquisitions and planning new publications we are preparing a specialized physical library that will also offer documentation center services, thanks to digitalization, indexing and a dedicated search engine.
We acknowledge the interdisciplinary nature and the cultural diversity in all the recorded knowledge about plants. Beyond sharing it across community boundaries, we aspire to become a space for this knowledge to evolve.
Learning with plants
The loss in our European culture of a close relationship with medicinal and psychoactive plants is intertwined with their use as mere tools. With a seed bank and a garden project we want to invite plants themselves, so our community benefits from a direct connection to species either native or adapted to our territory.
Learning from plants
When we interact with a plant, whether we simply observe it, touch it, or ingest it in any form, we share information with it – we influence each other in some way. This type of communication has brought us healing, new experiences and important discoveries and insights – both collective and individual.
We envision a society that enjoys a knowledgeable, responsible and respectful relationship with plants – and the world they made it possible for us to live in.
Mandragora Foundation Team
work process
Our Roadmap: From Vision to Reality
-
Q2 2024
- Drafting of Statutes and foundational documentation
- Formation of the Board of Directors
- Viability study
-
Q3 2024
- Foundation constitution
- Creation of Art, logos and graphic design elements
-
Q4 2024
- Communication: Initial website design and development, mailing list, first foundation presentation event
- Library: Outline and Technical study
- Publications: Initial project & design
-
Q1 2025
- Search of a space for the Library and Seed Bank
- New space refurbishment
- Communication: Starting activity in social networks
- Publications: Content and design for the first issue of the Mandragora digital bulletin
- Botanical space: Hiring a specialist, design of seed bank space
-
Q2 2025
- Start activity in the new foundation space
- Library: Collection organization
- Publications: Release of the Mandragora digital bulletin #1
- Botanical space: Seed Bank space installation
-
Q3 2025
- Communication: New features in foundation website
- Library: Collection organization
- Publications: Release of the Mandragora digital bulletin #2
- Botanical space: Seed Bank activity start
-
Q4 2025
- Library: First phase of cataloguing, search engine implementation
- Publications: Release of the Mandragora digital bulletin #3
- Botanical space: Preliminary study for the Ethnobotanical garden
- Preparation of network activities
-
Q1 2026
- Library: Second phase of cataloguing, search engine beta testing
- Publications: Release of the Mandragora digital bulletin #4, design of the first printed volume
- Botanical space: Start design for the Ethnobotanical garden
- First webinars and workshops
-
Q2/Q3 2026
- Library: Open Public Access Catalog, search engine online
- Publications: First Annual printed volume, release of the Mandragora digital bulletin #5 and #6
- Botanical space: Design for the Ethnobotanical garden
- New network activities
- Participation in major events
Gratitude to Those Who Support Our Journey
We want to thank all the people who, bringing some of their time, expertise or encouragement, have contributed to the growth of the Mandragora Foundation.
Special thanks to:
José Afuera, Francisco Azorín, Pedro Caldentey, Will Druett, Marina Mas, Marta Molina, Fernando Pardo and family, Ramon Puig Domenech, Oscar Ruiz, Quim Tarinas, Juan Carlos Usó, Xavi Vidal, Benjamin A. Vierling
