Food Forests: Pathways to Sustainable Agriculture

What is a Food Forest?

Food forests are agricultural systems where numerous diverse food crops are grown within any given patch. They're called food 'forests' and not food 'farms' because they are designed to look, function and feel like forests.

Why forests? For the simple reason that they are epitomes of natural ecosystems. They are resilient, adapt to changing weather conditions, and need external support. All forest elements - trees, vines, shrubs, animals, insects, even soil and water - speak a common language and rely on each other to survive and grow. This makes the forest ecosystem self-sustaining.

Characteristics of a Food Forest

- Food forests are designed to mimic the processes and patterns of nature. Naturally, they will include all the characteristics of an actual forest.
- Lush greens wherever the eye can see
- Several, intertwined, dense layers of trees, shrubs, vines and ground covers
- Diversity of plant and animal species
- Coexistence and inclusivity of all life forms
- Three-dimensional growth of life, including the underground
- Presence of several micro-ecosystems of varying scales within the forest

The biggest visual characteristic of a food forest, however, is that it looks drastically different from modern monoculture farming. Typically, in a food forest, no two patches will look the same. In addition, the plants grown are primarily edibles.