At their core, a Forager is a practical person with a connection and understanding of the ecology within the lands they steward. In the contemporary era, we can find many examples of a Folly which certainly don't fit into the ideology of a Forager. That is, unless a different perspective is taken.
Currently, it is estimated that there are 340 Million people, 40 Million acres of lawn, 19 Million abandoned buildings, and Thousands of edible and medicinal Plants and Fungi in North America. Despite this abundance, few have access to foraging due to lack of land access or knowledge of safe practice.
Lawns are as much a foolishly impractical endeavor as any Gothic Folly or Mock Temple. The boom and bust of American industry and housing leaves plenty of ruin across the nation in spaces we used to occupy. While our native plants and fungi have a degree of occupation in some of these areas, without stewardship, invasive pioneers will certainly claim these spaces.
This all adds up to a lot of potential if we can infuse this situation with a little knowledge and access to these organisms. While it may seem as though a Forager is one who simply takes what they may find from nature on an as needed basis, the reality is a bit more complex.
Humans, much like animals, are naturally imperfect beings. The simple act of foraging inherently assists in the spread of plants and fungi. A basket full of mushroom will continue to drop spores of selected gourmets along the trails a Forager walks.
Seeds will spring around as branches whip back and forth during fruit harvests. A dropped flower head a few hours walk from where it was found offers new potential populations and a greater chance for species survival.
In North America, this type of disturbance in our environment goes back far enough that the land has literally evolved and adapted to foragers and land stewards.
However, with the adoption of modern and contemporary industrial farming techniques coupled with the heavy amount of improper land use, North American forage isn't what it used to be and many have no reasonable access to foraging at all.
It was here where questions formed and Foragers Folly was born. What if we had large scale access to the plants and fungi we all aim to find and forage? What if we could propagate what we find and rapidly expand the population size of foragables in our own environments using these spaces? What if a Folly served more than just an ornamental purpose?