Food forests provide shade and food to American cities, plot by plot

More than half of all people on Earth live in cities, and their common denominator is could reach 70% by 2050. But outside of public parks, there are not many conservation models that focus on caring for nature in urban areas.

One of the modern ideas that is gaining more and more attention is the concept food forests – basically edible parks. These projects, often located on empty lots, are growing large and small trees, vines, shrubs and plants which produce fruits, nuts and other edible products.

Unlike community gardens or urban farms, food forests are designed to mimic ecosystems found in nature, with many vertical layers. They shade and frosty the land, protecting the soil from erosion, and providing habitat for insects, animals, birds, and bees. Many community gardens and urban farms have restricted membership, but most food forests are open to the community from sunrise to sunset.

As scientists who focus on protection, social justice AND sustainable food systemswe see food forests as an exhilarating modern way to protect nature without displacing people. Food forests not only protect biodiversity – they also promote community well-being and offer profound insights into supporting urban nature in the Anthropocene, as ecologically destructive forms of economic development and consumption change Earth’s climate and ecosystems.

Protecting nature without pushing people away

Many scientists and world leaders agree that to sluggish climate change and reduce wildlife loss, it is crucial to protect much of Earth’s land and water for nature. Under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, 188 countries agreed goal protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and sea surfaces by 2030 – this program is popularly called 30×30.

But there is fierce debate about how to achieve this goal. In many cases, the creation of protected areas has resulted in the displacement of indigenous people from their homelands. Moreover, protected areas are disproportionately located in countries with high levels of economic inequality and poorly functioning political institutions which in most cases do not effectively protect the rights of destitute and marginalized citizens.

In contrast, food forests promote civic engagement. Beacon Food Forest in Seattle, volunteers worked with professional landscape architects and held public meetings to get community input on the project and its development. The Urban Agriculture team in Atlanta works with neighborhood residents, volunteers, community groups and nonprofit partners to manage Browns Mill Urban Food Forest.

Boston Block by Block

Boston is celebrated for its parks and green areasincluding some designed by a celebrated landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. But it also has a history of systemic racism and segregation that has created drastic inequalities in access to green areas.

And those gaps still exist. In 2021, the city reported that communities of color that have historically been subject to redlining 16% less park areas and 7% less tree area than the city average. These neighborhoods were 3.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.8 degrees Celsius) warmer during the day and 1.9 F (1 C) warmer at night, making residents more vulnerable to urban heat waves, which are becoming more recurrent due to climate change.

Encouragingly, Boston is at the forefront of the national expansion of food forests. The unique approach here places ownership of these plots in a community trust. Neighborhood custodians manage routine care and maintenance of these sites.

Non-profit organization Boston Food Forest Coalitionwhich launched in 2015, is working to create 30 community-run food forests by 2030. existing nine projects are helping to preserve more than 60,000 square feet (5,600 square meters) of formerly undeveloped urban land — an area slightly larger than a football field.

Neighborhood volunteers choose what to grow, plan events and share what they harvest with food banks, nonprofits, faith-based meal programs and neighbors. Local collective action is key to repurposing open spaces, including lawns, yards and empty lots, into food forests that are connected in a citywide network. The coalition, a community land trust that works with the city, considers Boston’s food forests to be permanently protected lands.

Boston’s food forests are petite: on average, they occupy 650 square meters (7,000 square feet) of reclaimed land, which is about 50% larger than an NBA basketball court. But they produce a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs, including Roxbury Russet apples, native blueberries and papayas, a nutritious fruit native to North America. The forests also serve as meeting places, assist collect rainwater and assist beautify the surrounding area.

The Boston Food Forest Coalition provides technical assistance and fundraising support. It also employs experts for tasks such as soil remediation, invasive plant removal and installing accessible paths, benches and fencing.

Hundreds of volunteers participate in community service days and educational workshops on topics such as: pruning fruit trees in winterGardening activities and cultural events connect neighbors across urban divides of class, race, language and culture.

A growing movement

According to a crowdsourced data repository, the United States has over 85 community food forests in public spaces from the Pacific Northwest to the Deep South. Today, most of these spaces are in larger cities. In a 2021 study, mayors of 176 petite cities (with populations under 25,000) reported that long term maintenance the biggest challenge was maintaining food forests in their communities.

From our experience observing Boston’s approach up close, we find its model for community-driven food forests promising. The city sold the land to the Boston Food Forest Coalition community land trust for $100 per plot in 2015, and also funded the initial construction and planting. Since then, the city has made food forests an critical part of the city’s open space program, as it continues to sell plots to the community land trust at the same price.

Smaller cities with much lower tax bases may not be able to make the same kind of investment. However, Boston’s community-based model offers a feasible approach to sustaining these projects without burdening city governments. The city has adopted innovative zoning and permitting ordinances to support small-scale urban agriculture.

Building a food forest connects neighbors, neighborhood associations, community organizations, and city agencies. It is a grassroots response to the interconnected crises of climate change, environmental degradation, and social and racial inequality. We believe that food forests show how to build a just and sustainable future, one person, one seedling, and one neighborhood at a time.

Orion Kriegman, executive director and founder of the Boston Food Forest Coalition, contributed to this article.