Gororobas

TODAY

1. Henrique:

   in 2016–17 my cooking earned a reputation as gororoba — a bit of a kitchen concoction. I called it learning, experimenting and activism for real food and against the culture of eating with our eyes… but honestly, 1 in 4 dishes turned out disgusting 🤭

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2. Visitor:

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3. Henrique:

   over time I embraced the reputation and started Gororobas.com, which was a recipe website back then

   Navigation focused on cooking with what you had in your pantry.I made it clear when a recipe was experimental — meaning it could turn out awful 🤭Each ingredient had its own page to explore.

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4. Henrique:

   I kept sharing, and a friend and I came up with the idea of a vegetarian recipe portal where anyone could submit their recipes

   A shared portal where everyone could send in their vegetarian recipes.It was looking lovely!There was even a step-by-step mode for messy hands, bringing together the photo, instructions and ingredients needed for each step.

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5. Visitor:

   Fancy!

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6. Henrique:

   but I’m not one to follow or write recipes. My style is gororobento: I cook with what I have, with whoever I’m with, and for each person’s health and needs, in each moment.

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7. Henrique:

   so the recipe social network never took off…

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8. Henrique:

   But food kept shaping my politics, and eventually I discovered agroecology. In 2024 I started leaving my commercial programming career, which happened to coincide with a competition to build an app using a database I liked.

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9. Henrique:

   after a month and a half of lots of code, Gororobas agroecology was born: an encyclopedia of plants and their characteristics for agroforestry, and a small social network for field notes

   An encyclopedia for exploring plants and their agroforestry characteristics.Photos and growing information together in one profile to consult in the field.Plant characteristics are organized to help choose where and how to plant.Field notes bring together lived knowledge from people who grow and experiment.You can filter plants in many ways, which is super useful for planning your planting.A library for deeper learning and more references to bring to your planting.

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10. Henrique:

    since then I’ve kept figuring out what I want to make of this concoction of agroecology, digital technology and my own path toward life in the countryside…

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11. Henrique:

    now the vision is clearer; we even have a manifesto: to be a digital territory for agroecology, a bridge connecting the many people planting a more beautiful, caring world. The goal is to move from the digital to meeting in person as soon as possible. To make the most of technology’s potential while remembering its contradictions and limits.

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12. Henrique:

    this new Gororobas is looking lovely. I think I’m making a pretty good soup with 3 ingredients that don’t usually mix:

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13. Henrique:

    a personal notebook for lessons, questions, experiments and media

    Everything fits in your notebook. It is yours alone!Images, audio and videos: your multimedia notebook to remember your agroecological journey.Whenever you want to share your thoughts, you can publish straight from your diary.

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14. Henrique:

    a calm social network without the pressure to perform, where we can share our gororobas, experiences and thoughts

    One post at a time, calmly.Posts appear on related plant pages, creating an organic network of connections and learning, beyond a central authority dictating what each plant can and cannot do.

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15. Henrique:

    and an encyclopedia of plants, animals, tools and everything else, fed by the network’s own posts

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16. Henrique:

    where this will lead, I don’t know. Some days I’m amazed I’ve spent so much time and energy on something only I’ve been using… But that’s how it is: it’s my creative hyperfocus, and I believe it might eventually make the world a little more beautiful.

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17. Visitor:

    How do I join?

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18. Visitor:

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19. Henrique:

    if you’d like to be part of creating this, get in touch below!

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