Gleaning
In a harvested field, the gleaner inspects the remnants. The prize lies in what the machine has left behind, neglected or unreachable, now between the gleaner’s hands and the gleaner’s feet. Rising out of their stooped posture, they stack and bundle their findings for the winter or the summer. The gleaner, whether holding a sheaf of wheat, or liberating a freshly baked loaf of bread from supermarket garbage bins, is the symbol of resourcefulness.
Agnes Varda’s 2000 documentary, The Gleaners and I, begins with a definition.
To glean is to gather after harvest. A gleaner is one who gleans.
Varda considers both the metaphorical and the literal act of gleaning, to present a case for its enduring relevance, and political distinctiveness. Across France, she finds many who are continuing this ancient tradition, both out of desire and necessity. Reflecting on this film, 24 years later, gleaning once again confirms its relevance, particularly when considered against the context of Australia’s food wastage crisis.
Australia currently produces enough food waste to feed 60 million people, yet so many are plagued by poverty and starvation. This wastage occurs on farms, during processing and transport, in supermarkets, restaurants and households. According to Foodbank, 36% of households in Australia experienced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2023. Additionally, food waste is responsible for 3% of Australia’s Greenhouse Gas emissions. Gleaning this waste could then represent a crucial solution to a few impenetrable problems.
The origins of gleaning can be traced back to the Old Testament. Leviticus 19:9:10 states:
“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.”
This passage explains the process of gleaning, whereby the lower class were allowed to come and retrieve anything left after the harvesting season had finished. Throughout history, this passage was continually invoked to justify the right to glean as divine in origin.
Gleaning once existed as an embedded element of the harvesting season. Farmers would allocate their own workers to collect any unused produce and either use it to feed the animals or dispose of it. However, in 1260, Louis IX King of France decreed that the harvest fields should be left for three days post-harvest without animal intervention, to allow for the poor to glean. Throughout history, gleaning remained an integral source of subsistence for the rural poor population, although not without tension between the farmers and the gleaners. In an agrarian profit-oriented economy, gleaning was protected by local customs and communal regulations in France, as an act of social welfare. Farmers, against gleaning, or those who wanted to glean their own farms were positioned as “robbing the poor.” However, pre-revolutionary France saw an increase in favour for the farmer’s right to dispose of their own waste.
Though depicted in Breton’s 1877 painting La Glaneuse as a solitary act, Varda advocates gleaning as a practice that forges community. Jean Francois Millet’s Des Glaneuses, arguably one of the most famous artistic commentaries on the practice, depicts gleaning as an act conducted in a group. Three women in the foreground assume the gleaning posture, stooped over a barren field of wheat. In the background, an abundant mound of hay looms large to highlight the disparity between the sparsity of the gleaner’s pickings and the wealth the true harvest will bring to the farmers.
This tension between abundance and sparsity is at the centre of gleaning, and is explored further by Varda. Across potato, tomato, oyster and apple farms, we meet gleaners with different motivations and farmers with different responses. Some glean because they have been left no other choice, others have sought out the gleaning lifestyle to participate ethically in society. The farmers are sometimes indifferent to gleaning and other times they encourage it because it is a sustainable way to clear their fields for the next season’s harvest. One winemaker explains that in order to achieve Vintage status, his production is limited, and therefore allows gleaners to come and collect his wasted grapes. One happy gleaner, among the grapes, quotes French poet Joachim Du Bellay: “Like the gleaner who, walking step by step, gathers the remains of what falls behind the harvester!”
So how has gleaning manifested in Australia today? A large portion of Australia’s food waste can be boiled down to the strict cosmetic standards set by the duopoly of grocery stores chains; Coles and Woolworths. For example, Craig Reucassel’s documentary series War on Waste found that on one banana farm that produces over 80 million bananas a year, 40% of bananas were disposed of because they did not fit within the guidelines. In The Gleaners and I, Varda is also troubled by the way appearance dictates the viability of food. Many of the fruit and vegetables gleaned are ultimately deemed to be of zero commercial value because of their look. Referring to an apple, one farmer is recorded saying, this one “has nothing going for it, like an ugly and stupid person.”
Food charities such as OzHarvest represent a non-profit corporatised version of gleaning, that attempts to tackle this problem. OzHarvest collects fruit and vegetables discarded for their irregularities, or in surplus, as well as picking up any leftover or unused food items from households.
Individual efforts to glean have, however, manifested in a different way. Dumpster diving proves an effective strategy to combat waste and eat cheaply. In looking at this method, Varda braids together a story that once again hinges on the tension between abundance and sparsity. A group of homeless teens who often raid a supermarket’s bin, are angered to see the manager has doused the food waste in bleach, rendering it in-edible. The teens react, kicking over and vandalising the bins, and are charged for it. But the question hangs over the audience. Why ruin food, going to waste, for those who need it? And why approach those seeking sustenance punitively?
The legal murkiness of dumpster diving in Australia was confirmed by Professor of Law Penny Crofts. Theft and trespassing are the two offences to consider, however, possession of the property is an important consideration. If the property has been abandoned, it can’t be taken, but to be deemed abandoned, the owner must have given up all interest in it.
Whilst some act out of necessity, there are those for whom dumpster diving is part of a larger protest. “Freeganism” is a subculture dedicated to anti-capitalist protest of over-consumption and environmental destruction. By engaging in strategies such as dumpster diving, a freegan recognises the amount of food waste produced, and tries to limit their contribution.
But this sentiment does not have to be limited to food. The high-turnover of used items on Facebook Marketplace could also represent a modern manifestation of gleaning, as users seek to extend the life of an object, for a much cheaper price. Many of us already participate in gleaning, unknowingly.
A widespread appreciation of gleaning could hold the answers to our wastage problems. But more than that, the presence of community in every incarnation of gleaning is striking. Gleaners find each other and forge communities. They often glean more than they need and commit to sharing. It is this approach that could dramatically transform Australia’s food wastage disaster.
Des Glaneuses (1857), Jean-Francois Millet
How to Glean
Ingredients:
Gloves
Buckets or baskets
Water and snacks (for sustenance during gleaning)
Reusable bags or containers
A group of enthusiastic gleaners
Protective clothing
Long pants
Wide brimmed hat
Sunscreen (50+ SPF ideally)
Head torch (if gleaning is taking place at night)
Site ripe for gleaning eg
Harvested field
Dumpster bins
Knowledge of legal restrictions in the area intended for gleaning
Method:
Choose a gleaning site and Seek out legal advice about gleaning in the area of intention. Consider if there is a possibility you are in breach of the law by gleaning in this area.
Assemble gleaning comrades. Gleaning is about building community, and much more enjoyable if done in a group, so choose carefully. Consider contacting local food charities, community members or friends, and asking if they would like to participate. Gleaning often reaps more reward than needed for an individual, so think about where surplus could be directed.
Gather supplies needed for gleaning. What type of utensils you glean with will be specific to the site. For a field, gardening gloves may suffice, whereas for dumpster diving, heavy duty-rubber or leather gloves are advised to protect from sharp items or contaminants. Sun protection is vital for long gleaning days, and head torches are necessary for night-time diving. Then,Travel to your gleaning site.
Glean your items. Inspect what has been left behind, and whether it can be of use to you or others you know. Place items in the containers you brought, carefully ensuring nothing becomes damaged when transporting back home.
Return home, and if applicable share items amongst your community, helping those in need.