 Food forests sustainable agriculture nature's way Here is how food forests could be replacing part of our conventional agriculture to make our food production both more sustainable and future-proof What is a food forest a food forest is an agricultural system primarily designed to produce food efficiently and Sustainably at first glance many food forests look like normal healthy forests. They are species rich and full of life But unlike natural forest food forests are mainly composed of perennial edible plants including trees and shrubs with edible fruits The plants in a food forest grow in several vegetative layers Mimicking the structure and ecological processes of a natural forest the edible leaves seeds flowers berries fruits and nuts from food forest Provide us with energy proteins and carbohydrates the rich species diversity on the other hand Feeds the surrounding ecosystem and the non-edible natural plant and animal life within something that modern industrial agriculture often neglects Entropical countries food forests have been widely used for thousands of years as so-called home gardens They have contributed to food security and are an important source of income for local populations Since the 1970s the interest in food forests has also been growing in more temperate climates Especially in England where many food forests have since been established Throughout Europe food forests can grow and thrive as long as we take local conditions into account For example designing a food forest in northern latitudes would require special consideration for the low availability of sunlight during winter months Therefore food forests in countries with lower light intensities are usually less dense as compared to food forests in tropical regions How are food forests designed? According to Wouter van Ek chairperson of the Dutch foundation Futsal Bosbou a food forest is a design forest. It is agriculture, but it works like a natural forest Wouter van Ek is also the co-founder of the food forest Ketelbruk near Nijmegen in the Netherlands He sees food forest as a large opportunity for sustainable future-proof agriculture At first sight food forests often appear wild still the location for each plant is carefully chosen You have to know your food forest very well to know what grows where and which produce to harvest at different times In larger food forest a row structure can help to maintain a better overview and make harvesting easier for commercial growers While a row structure makes food forest less visually reminiscent of natural forests The structure and ecological processes are still the same while food forest can appear unruly or slightly chaotic Growing a food forest requires carefully planning and profound knowledge of the local conditions The choice of suitable species and varieties highly depends on local conditions Extreme temperatures light conditions and water availability are important factors that need to be taken into account Most food forests are very species rich hosting between a hundred and two hundred different plant species By combining different plant species with different characteristics we can create a robust and virtually self-sustaining cultivation system Food forests don't need much maintenance Apart from harvesting they can be left alone for most of the year only undesired tree saplings should be removed from time to time Such a system doesn't require pesticides or fertilizers Species and variety selection Food forests need time to grow during the first years yields are generally expected to be rather low After this initial phase, however, they can produce a rich and varied harvest across seasons Apples, pears and berry bushes are particularly suitable in the beginning as they result in good harvests relatively soon Species such as hazelnut and sweet chestnut come later. They are very important too With their right energy and fat content these nuts are a suitable replacement for other high-calorie foods and could become a staple food Moreover, sweet chestnuts can grow almost everywhere in Germany. Their flower is a gluten-free alternative to wheat and other cereals It is also rich in valuable minerals, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids and fiber and its complex carbohydrates provide a long-lasting feeling of satiety The plants in a food forest are like pieces of a puzzle based on their characteristics and requirements They are combined to complement each other Shea-tolerant plants such as currant and other berries grow in the shade of sun-loving plants Nitrogen-fixing plants including alders, broom or shrub lupins are cultivated to increase soil fertility Deep-rooting plants like colt's foot, comfraise or sorrel improve soil porosity They also tap mineral sources in the subsoil bring them to the surface and make them available for other plants Our food forest scalable Food forests are often small systems Even a tiny back garden can be large enough for a food forest Many food forests are community projects or grow on the grounds of old estates and many of them are open to visitors While these food forests are a great opportunity for people to see and experience how a food forests works Small projects are not usually about commercial food production Yet food forests are very productive, robust and relatively inexpensive to manage They can be combined with other agricultural systems and even thrive in areas unsuitable for other farming systems due to topography soil quality or climatic characteristics When combined with other farming systems food forest can increase the overall product diversity of a farm and be a valuable source of income The food forest Ketelbroek close to the Dutch city of Nijmegen next to the German border has a size of roughly 2.5 hectares When established in 2009, it was the largest food forest in Europe By now there are also larger food forests, some of which focus on commercial food production With their projects, the Futsal Bosbau Foundation wants to show that food forests are also economically viable at scale That's why the foundation supports farmers in gradually converting part of their agricultural land into food forests Some of these food forests are large agricultural systems up to 20 hectares in size That's why the foundation supports farmers in gradually converting part of their agricultural land into food forests Some of these food forests are large agricultural systems up to 20 hectares in size Food forests and the environment Today a large part of our current diet consists of crops grown in monocultures that rely on heavy pesticide and fertilizer use for high yields Frequent plowing and driving on the fields with heavy machinery also increases erosion and destroy soil life and structure Such agricultural systems are unsustainable and are increasingly being recognized for their vulnerability The lack of ecological diversity paired with a reliance on human inputs means these monocultural systems are unlikely to cope with the impacts of climate change Food forests on the other hand are stable self-sustaining diverse ecosystems They are an important food source for pollinators and serve as a habitat for many animals and don't require pesticides or fertilizers In food forests, the soil is hardly disturbed Branches and leaves form natural mulch that over time decomposes on the ground to form a thick layer of rich hummus Hummus is important for soil quality and sustainable food production It improves soil fertility, stores water and reduces erosion In addition, hummus stores large amounts of organic carbon and removes climate-damaging carbon dioxide from the atmosphere Therefore, healthy soils with stable hummus reserves are not only important for food production, but also key for climate protection On top of that, food forests are more resilient to disturbance than monocultures and can better withstand the impacts of climate change Would more food forests impact our diet? In theory, food forests could replace a large part of conventional agriculture and make food production more sustainable However, such a transition isn't easy A food forest diet differs considerably from our current diet Food forests are not suitable for the cultivation of wheat, potatoes and other field crops The same applies to animal products They must be produced in other agricultural systems too Nevertheless, food forests can supply a large part of our daily caloric needs New creative dishes and preparation methods can help to show that a food forest diet is not only good for the environment, but also healthy and delicious For this purpose, the food forest Ketelbruck cooperates with the restaurant De Nue Winkl in Nijmegen Using products from the Ketelbruck food forest, Chef Emil van der Staag creates such extraordinary dishes as sweet chestnut chocolate mousse or sweet chestnut seitan In 2021, he received two Michelin stars, one for the quality of his food creations and one for the sustainability of them In our northern latitudes, food forests will often not be able to cover all our calorie needs But by changing our diet at least a little bit, we can make sure that food forests, in combination with other sustainable farming systems, become an important building block of a more sustainable, future-proof food system Thank you very much for listening This article is written by Lina Dili and read by me, Ines Ortelonzo, originally posted on Food Unfolded Food Unfolded explores the stories behind the food on our plates, reconnecting us to the origins and sustainability of our food Co-founded by the EU and powered by EIT Food