Edible Agroforestry: Designing Your Own Food Forest [1]

by Lance Schuttler, The Mind Unleashed [2]

Backyard Abundance [3], an environmental education non-profit organization, has released an open-source document on how to create your own “food forest” through what is called, Edible Agroforestry.

Backyard Abundance says this about their pdf document “ [4]Edible Agroforestry Design” [4]: 

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Agroforestry is the combination of crops (plants, animals, fungi) and trees in forest-inspired agricultural systems that benefit human communities through a greater connection to landscapes, improved stewardship of resources, and enhanced economic opportunities.

Current edible agroforestry research is extensive, but specific planting layouts are sparse and typically focus on only a handful of species and techniques. Without design examples of best-practices, growers are confronted with a huge barrier of time, money, and risk associated with researching planting configurations, estimating implementation costs and payback, and experimenting with planting techniques.

The “Edible Agroforestry Designs” document [4] provides design templates of edible agroforestry practices to aid growers with the design, implementation, and management of environmentally-beneficial ecosystems that support personal income and community needs.

Image Credit 1 [7]

Image Credit 2 [8]