SEMG

The Société ethnomycologique de Genève is a non-profit association governed by Swiss law and established in accordance with Art. 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code.

Our mission

Study, preserve and transmit.

The mission of the SEMG is to make visible the relationships between fungi, knowledge, environments and societies: what fungi nourish, heal, transform, inspire, tell and transmit.

It is interested in field-based knowledge, production practices, culinary and medicinal uses, popular narratives, artistic expressions, objects, archives and oral traditions.

It creates bridges between mycology, anthropology, history, ecology, production, cuisine, traditional medicine and contemporary cultural practices, in order to make ethnomycology exist as a living, documented and accessible field.

What does the SEMG do?

Spaces to document, learn and transmit.

Library & archives

The library brings together books, journals, resources and archives related to fungi, their uses and their cultural dimensions. It supports research, mediation and the transmission of ethnomycological knowledge.

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Journal of Ethnomycology

The Journal of Ethnomycology is the audiovisual and documentary review of the SEMG. It brings together filmed formats, interviews, short written dossiers, transcripts and complementary resources.

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SEMG Academy

SEMG Academy brings together e-learning, practical workshops and certificate programmes on a platform designed specifically for ethnomycology: courses, resources, exercises, documents and validations in one place.

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Mycological cultivation and experimentation workshop

The workshop makes it possible to observe, cultivate, test and transmit practices linked to the fungal world. It supports educational activities, demonstrations, applied research and transmission projects.

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Studio SEMG

Studio SEMG supports the creation of videos, interviews, courses, educational capsules and documentary content. It supports SEMG Academy, the Journal of Ethnomycology and the audiovisual memory of the Society.

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Geneva Fungi Fest

Geneva Fungi Fest brings fungi into the city through cinema, photography, cuisine, workshops and public encounters. A festival dedicated to the knowledge, imaginaries and creations of the fungal world.

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Statutes

A clear associative framework.

The Société ethnomycologique de Genève is organized as a non-profit association. Its statutes define its purpose, bodies, membership categories, governance rules, as well as the principles relating to dissolution and the allocation of its assets.

This framework protects the mission of the SEMG, supports the stability of its spaces and guarantees transparent governance in the service of ethnomycology.

View the statutes

Join us

Take part in a living ethnomycological society.

Joining the SEMG means contributing to a space dedicated to the study, documentation and transmission of the relationships between fungi, knowledge, environments and societies.

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Our history

The Société ethnomycologique de Genève grew out of a simple conviction: fungi tell a much richer story than what we see in forests or on our plates. They connect us with places, histories and different ways of understanding the living world.

Through our research and conversations, we have come to see just how deeply fungi are woven into people’s lives. They are present in everyday practices and in stories passed down from one generation to the next. They nourish us, sometimes help us heal and inspire us. Yet Switzerland still lacked a place devoted to exploring these relationships in their full richness.

This is what led to the creation of the SEMG. It brings together people who want to better understand the relationships between humans and fungi, share their knowledge and introduce ethnomycology to a wider audience.